The Future Is Ours
by FayeValentine00
Summary: Fairy Tail: Next Generation Fic - When Team Natsu left on their 100 Year Quest, none of them could have predicted how quickly their lives would change. Not only their own lives but the lives of their guild mates as well. It was as if the wheel of fate had begun to turn faster and they were all along for the bumpy ride into true adulthood.
1. Chapter 1

The Future Is Ours

**Part I**

_**Immediately Following Manga Issue 545 of Fairy Tail**_

* * *

When Team Natsu left on their 100 Year Quest, none of them could have predicted how quickly their lives would change. Not only their own lives but the lives of their guild mates as well. It was as if the wheel of fate had begun to turn faster and they were all along for the bumpy ride into true adulthood.

* * *

_Gajeel Redfox & Levy McGarden - x793_

Not long after Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Carla and Happy left on their mission, Levy announced her pregnancy. The celebration was nothing short of spectacular. She and Gajeel married soon after the news was out and everyone available was there to join the celebration. Levy looked like a tiny princess in her beautiful white wedding dress with a long train and lacy veil. Gajeel wore a black suit and attempted to tame his hair and look presentable. To anyone outside of the guild, they may seem like a mismatched pair but to their friends the day was perfect.

Levy's only regret for her wedding day was that Erza and Lucy could not return from their mission to be there. However, she understood and was overjoyed to receive a letter from her friends along with a nicely wrapped box. Upon opening the letter, it was instantly apparent that Lucy had written it.

"Gajeel and Levy,

Congratulations! We all miss you and we are thrilled to hear all your good news. We're sad that we missed the wedding but look forward to seeing the pictures when we return!

Since we don't know if you are having a boy or a girl, we're covering all the bases. We want to make sure that your baby knows that we love them!

Stay Happy!"

Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, but Levy wiped away the tears as she studied each of her friends' signatures at the bottom of the page. When Gajeel and Levy opened the box, they found two small leather banded bracelets tucked inside. One band was pink, and one was blue but both held an identical small silver plate. On the top was inscribed with a small Fairy Tail guild mark and on the underside, the inscription was a single word, "Nakama". It would be several months before the Redfox's learned that they would put both bracelets to good use.

In Spring of x794, the day Ryuu and Mari Redfox were born, Gajeel carefully attached those bracelets to the infant's tiny ankles and that is where they remained for many years to come. 

* * *

_Elfman Strauss & Evergreen - x793_

By the time that Team Natsu left on their job, Elfman and Evergreen had been dating for nearly a year. In the beginning the couple had kept it a secret, but once they'd gone public, the duo was nearly inseparable. Quickly, Elfman's sisters, Mirajane and Lisanna, and Evergreen's Raijinshu partners, Freed and Bickslow, became their largest biggest supporters. After what seemed like an eternity of beating around the bush, Elfman finally proposed to Ever shortly after the Redfox wedding. Three months later, they wed and shortly thereafter, Mrs. Strauss was pregnant with their first child.

Bluebell Strauss was born in late x794, roughly six months after Ryuu and Mari.

* * *

_Cana Alberona (& Bacchus Groh) - x794_

For the first year after Team Natsu left on their 100 Year Quest, Cana spent most of her time as she had before. She still hung out at the Fairy Tail bar and went out on enough jobs to pay the bills and keep in shape. While she was on the road, Bacchus became one of her favorite drinking buddies and they always had a lot of fun together. She was perfectly happy living her life freely with no strings attached. So, when that first year passed and Cana found herself pregnant, it was a complete shock.

Not being married or even in a relationship like most of her guild mates, Cana found herself uncertain of how to handle the situation. She didn't want to tell anyone the news until she figured it out. So late at night, she poured out her favorite keg and filled it with water. She hoped no one would learn the truth if she appeared to drink like she always had. She just prayed that she would have it all sorted by the time she was starting to show.

Cana continued to pay for her alcohol despite the fact that she wasn't drinking it. Everything seemed to go fine for a while until Mirajane was conducting the guild liquor order. Although their sales remained the same, they were going through a lot less booze. At first the bartender didn't worry about it, but when the trend continued for a further two weeks, she began to research the phenomena. As she delved into the numbers further, Mira realized that most of the under-used items were Cana's favorites which made little sense at face value.

Slowly an idea crept into her head and she began to watch her long-time friend closely. Was it Mira's imagination or did Cana look a little different? Was she reading into things too much or did Cana seem to get tired a lot easier recently? Was it a coincidence or was Cana only taking jobs near Magnolia that involved little to no danger and, as such, provided very little reward?

By the following week, Mirajane earnestly believed that Cana might be pregnant. To confirm her suspicions, Mira opened the kegs that Cana kept aside for herself and discovered the water inside. Per Makarov's recent guild rule, she knew that the Card Magic mage should not be going out on jobs while pregnant, especially alone. Knowing that, Mira had to get Cana talking, but she also knew it was a conversation that was best held in private. That night Mira shut down the Fairy Tail bar as usual before breaking into Cana's room and waiting there for her to return.

It was the early hours of the morning when Cana dragged herself through the door to her room, utterly exhausted. Everything hurt. She knew she should have stopped at an inn on the way back to get some rest. But, since that was something Cana had never done before pregnancy, she did not want to cause suspicion. With her guard down, Cana hadn't noticed Mirajane sitting on her couch in the dark room until she turned the light on.

After her initial fright, one look at her friend's face told Cana everything. The jig was up. Mirajane knew the truth. There really wasn't any point in denying it so with a heavy sigh, Cana sat down on the couch and rested her head on Mira's shoulder. "I really don't know what to do…"

Those were the only words in the room for a long time. Mirajane simply wrapped her arms around Cana's shoulders and held her tight until the tension drained from her body. That night Cana told Mira everything. She knew for sure that Bacchus was the father and she was adamant about not disturbing his lifestyle. They were very good friends, but he had not asked for this and she would not become a burden.

Mirajane's suggestion of telling Gildarts was met with a resounding, "NO!" By the end of the night, Mira had agreed to keep Cana's secret for the time being but in return, she had to take Mirajane with her on any jobs Cana took while pregnant. Rules were rules and Cana's health, along with the baby's health, were the most important things.

When Cana was about four months pregnant, she was just barely showing so for the first time in many years; she wore actual shirts on a regular basis. Because of this, she was making it a point to stay out of the guild hall as much as possible to avoid suspicion. That in itself was enough to get people gossiping yet no one even considered the true cause.

One afternoon the women were on a job a few days travel outside of Magnolia when Cana became more distracted than usual. Her footsteps became heavier and her breathing was even slightly labored. Just when Mira considered recommending that they stop for the day, Cana collapsed right there in the middle of the forest.

Mirajane did her best to catch her friend and get her to the ground safely. The dark-haired woman was burning up and her body was covered in sweat. In addition to that, Cana's breathing was fast and shallow. All of it scared Mira half to death. There was no one around them and she didn't dare leave Cana alone. There was only one thing she could think of to do so, moving quickly, Mira dug into her purse. She quickly found the emergency card that Gildarts had given to Cana on his last visit only two weeks before. The only reason this card had survived destruction when all the others hasn't was the influence of Mirajane who'd used threats to ensure it stayed intact.

Without over thinking it, Mira took one more look at Cana's pained face and pressed down. She was never more relieved than when she saw it activate. Although she had no idea where Gildarts might be at that moment, she had faith he would come. Until then, she focused solely on taking care of Cana.

In the early hours of the morning, Mirajane woke up when she heard a noise outside of their makeshift camp. Gildarts had arrived. The man looked tired and out of breath, as if he'd run the entire way there, but he was there. The expression on his face showed even more concern than Mirajane had anticipated. Immediately, he assessed the scene before crouching down next to his unconscious daughter. Before he could even ask questions, Mirajane unloaded everything on him. She hadn't let herself truly panic about the situation until she saw his face and it all just came pouring out along with her tears. Mirajane apologized over and over again for letting Cana put herself into danger and for not telling him the truth and for not telling the guild.

For a moment Gildarts was in shock as he took in Mira's words. It had taken a few minutes to process but, once he was sure that Cana was not in any immediate danger, he was able to react. Wrapping his big strong arms around her trembling shoulders, he spoke gently. "It's ok. … Don't cry. … Thank you for calling me. … Everything will be ok."

Once Mira had calmed down, Gildarts let her go and turned to scoop Cana easily into his arms. Together they took her to the nearest inn, found a doctor and waited impatiently until Cana finally regained consciousness. The doctor diagnosis was that she was simply exhausted and dehydrated. He also said that she should probably stop working until the baby was born and, to Gildarts, that doctors' suggestion became law.

When Cana woke up in that unfamiliar bed with both Mirajane and Gildarts looking down at her in concern, the pieces quickly fell into place and the first weak words that came out of her mouth were, "… oh shit…"

There was a lot to discuss over those next few days that Cana spend recovering in the rented room. The first question that Gildarts asked was about the father. When Cana explained the situation, she was grateful to have Gildarts for a dad. She knew that he was in no position to criticize her and he didn't. His primary concern was that she tell Bacchus the truth. When she tried to protest, Gildarts laid it all out for her crystal clear from a perspective that only he could understand.

"I never got to be a father to you because I never knew you existed. Those are years and memories I can never get back. Bacchus deserves the chance to decide what he wants to do. Don't just assume that you are doing him favors by saying nothing!"

The hurt in Gildarts voice was real and took both women aback yet those were the words that Cana needed to hear. When she stepped back from her own situation, she reflected on the day she had confessed to her father. She recalled that ever since he had learned the truth, Gildarts had gone out of his way to be close to her, regardless of how much she tried to avoid it. That was the moment that Cana realized she was doing exactly what her mother had done and she knew that she didn't want Bacchus to hurt the way her own father had.

To Mirajane's amazement, Cana immediately nodded to her father and agreed to tell Bacchus the truth without another complaint but telling the guild was another story. It wasn't until Mirajane explained that people were already starting to gossip that Cana laid back onto the bed in defeat, sighing dramatically.

The day before the trio was set to return to Fairy Tail, Cana was feeling much better. She as sitting peacefully in the empty room when someone knocked on the door. Calling for the person to come in, she was only half surprised to see Bacchus enter. The man looked stone sober and his expression was a mixture of concern and confusion as he stepped inside.

"Shit…" She muttered under her breath before she waved him inside and offered him a seat beside her. "Let me guess, Gildarts told you to come here."

"Pretty much. I received a letter saying it was in my best interest to come and visit you… immediately." Bacchus still looked wary as he took his seat next to her, but he also seemed relieved that Cana was okay which she thought was sweet. "That aside, I had no idea Gildarts was your father."

"Don't feel bad. He didn't even know for a long time either." Cana said the words with a dismissive wave of the hand, trying to lighten the mood but, despite that, an awkward silence fell over the pair.

When the silence was finally broken, Bacchus and Cana spoke at the same time.

"You're pregnant?" "I'm pregnant."

Another awkward silence followed before Cana chuckled and a second later Bacchus chuckled too. Within moments, they were both laughing loudly and Cana couldn't help thinking how truly interesting life had become. Bacchus and Cana were friends... Very good friends at that. Clearly, they were even friends with benefits. Neither of them had wanted more and that had always been mutually understood. Yet despite that, although this baby completely unexpected, the parents-to-be somehow knew that everything would be ok.

"Just so we're clear," Cana started, meeting his eyes while still smiling brightly. "I don't expect anything from you."

"I know that," he answered easily with his own smirk. "But you better get used to seeing me because now you're stuck with me."

"Sounds good."

They sealed the deal with a hug and Bacchus gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. "You can raise the kid at Fairy Tail but at least give it my last name, ok?"

"Deal."

A few days later, flanked by Gildarts and Mirajane, Cana announced her pregnancy to the rest of her guild mates. The response was deafening. By the time Shayla Groh was born in x795, Gildarts had returned to the guild to help raise his granddaughter. A short while later, Makarov finally convinced Gildarts to take over as the 9th Guild Master of Fairy Tail with the promise that his rein would only last until Laxus wanted to step into the role.

* * *

_Laxus & Lisanna_

Shortly after Gajeel and Levy were married, everyone fully expected to hear that Laxus and Mirajane were dating but that day never came. Although the two had flirted on and off for years and were close, their relationship wasn't meant to be. At one point Laxus had asked Mirajane out for dinner but she had respectfully declined. Mira knew that what Laxus wanted in life was to settle down and have a family. After some serious personal reflection, Mirajane felt that her future lay somewhere else. Mira had already practically raised her siblings, and she was happy with her Fairy Tail family. That was enough for her. She also knew that she could never be the one to deny Laxus the future he both desired and deserved. Although that had been a hard conversation, the two remained close friends afterwards and Mirajane wished him true happiness from the bottom of her heart.

After that happened, Laxus regrouped and life went back to normal but a few months after being rejected, Laxus found himself talking to Lisanna more often. At first they'd just meet at the bar in the guild. Then, occasionally, they'd "randomly" run into each other in town. However, everyone around them was sure that those meetings were happening way too often to actually be random chance. Magnolia wasn't that small.

Finally, one late afternoon when the guild traffic was at its lowest, Lisanna approached Mirajane looking nervous. Her big sister knew exactly what was coming, but she still smiled sweetly and waited patiently for Lisanna to begin.

"Mira-Nee…" she began, looking directly at the floor. "I like Laxus…"

"I know." Mirajane spoke with a bright smile that reflected in her voice which gave Lisanna the courage to raise her head and meet her sisters' eyes.

"Are you mad?"

"Of course not!" Mira reached out and pulled Lisanna into a tight hug. "Are you happy?"

Safely wrapped up in Mira's arms Lisanna nodded firmly, blushing brightly. "Then that is all that matters. Be happy. Make Laxus happy and I will be happy. Ok?"

"Okay!"

From that point, Laxus and Lisanna began dating in earnest. They were married two years after Gajeel and Levy. One year later, just 2 months after Elfman and Evergreen welcomed their second child, Carnation into the world, Lisanna gave birth to the couple's first son, Nathan in x796.

* * *

_Natsu & Lucy_

Natsu and Lucy's relationship was the worst kept secret in all of Fairy Tail. Basically, the only two people in all of Fiore who didn't know about the relationship were Natsu and Lucy themselves. Nearly everyone in the guild had seen the writing on the wall nearly from the start. The duo was practically inseparable yet their relationship never seemed to get over the hump from best friends to lovers which made it a hot topic of gossip throughout the guild.

Although Lucy had practically confessed to Natsu the morning they left for their 100 Year Quest and Natsu had replied by saying they would be together forever, nothing further was said on the issue and things proceeded as they always had. Throughout the first few weeks of the mission, the relationship had also become a surprisingly popular topic between Gray and Erza. It was painful to watch the couple continually get close to a breakthrough and then pull back just before the critical moment. Finally, the two devised a plan and set out to give them the chance to move forward.

Making up some lame excuse about how Erza thought there might be an information contact in some random village, Erza and Gray convinced Natsu and Lucy to go look into said town by themselves. Somehow they also convinced both Happy and Natsu that Happy needed to stay with the main group in case they needed to make a quick escape. Miraculously, their plan worked.

On a cool day about six months after they'd departed from Fairy Tail, Natsu and Lucy wandered around town looking for a contact that didn't exist. Finally, as the sun began to set, the duo found a place to stay for the night. There was only one room available so, like they'd done many times before, they shared. They relaxed, ate dinner, chatted about nothing important and laughed at some silly old memories before Lucy couldn't resist teasing Natsu.

"I hope you can sleep well tonight, Natsu." Her grin was like the Cheshire cat.

She watched with amusement as confusion played across his features until he finally gave the answer she'd been hoping for. With a hint of a frown he asked, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well… Who are you going to cuddle with? I would hate for you to get lonely without Happy here," she grinned deviously with a glint of sadistic pleasure in her eyes.

"Pfft!" Natsu scoffed loudly and his own smirk spread. "What are you talking about? I have you, right?"

With those words, he pounced on Lucy with a laugh but he hadn't expect was to catch her off guard. They tumbled off the couch and onto the floor with a thud. When they finally got their bearings, Lucy was laying face up on the floor while Natsu straddled her, pinning the Celestial Spirit mage to the floor. Their faces were dangerously close. Their eyes met for a long moment before both blushed deeply and quickly adverted their eyes.

"S-Sorry," Natsu finally said and began to pull away.

Without thinking, Lucy reached out and caught his scarf, holding him into place. She wasn't even certain what came over her or why she had done it but somehow she knew that if she didn't take advantage of the moment, it would be gone forever. "W-Wait," her voice was a low whisper.

"Lucy?" The quiet questioning in Natsu's voice made her stomach do a flip and when their eyes met again, she was positive she was bright red yet she did not let go. "What are you doing?"

Before she could lose her nerve and without saying a word, she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. When their lips finally met, it was soft and hesitant but it was also sweet. It was the one thing she didn't even truly realize she'd wanted all this time. Yet, as sudden as it began, it ended and Lucy released Natsu's neck, eyeing him cautiously.

"Lu-cy…" For a long moment his face only registered shock but finally, after what felt like an eternity, his face slowly transformed into a grin, the gleam in his eyes growing hungry. Saying nothing further, this time he came to her and pressed his lips firmly to hers. They replaced any sweetness this kiss lacked with need and desire and the emotion caused by so many years holding back from one and other.

Within moments they were lost in each other's arms. Their breathing between kisses coming out in moans and sighs and before long neither knew which was way up. In that moment, the world around them fell away and for once it was just the two of them together as one like it always should have been.

When they returned to the others the next day, one look at their faces told Gray and Erza that their plan had been a success yet no one said a word about it. Even Wendy picked up on it their relationship and joined the gossip fold. The relationship between Natsu and Lucy went on in secret for nearly six months before it openly became common knowledge.

It was barely sunlight that morning when Gray woke up in their campsite, the fire from the night before nothing more than embers. It only took the Ice Devil Slayer a moment to realize that two of their group were missing and he couldn't help but laugh to himself. Those two had slowly been getting more bold in their actions. Until that morning, they had all played dumb, but this was too sweet a chance to miss. He could finally catch them in the act, so to speak.

As quietly as possible, Gray lay back down on his bedding, pretending to be a sleep but waiting patiently for the moment that his friends returned from their excursion. A short while later, his patience was rewarded when the two returned to camp, giggling about something while trying to stay quiet at the same time. He would not lie, hearing them like that made him miss Juvia more than he wanted to admit but he pushed those feelings away for the time being and made his move.

Watching from the corner of his eye, he waited until Natsu leaned over to give Lucy one last kiss. When he did, Gray sat up and looked directly at them with an evil smirk on his face. "So… were you ever going to tell us about this?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," a voice beside him seconded and only then did he realize that Erza was awake and up too.

Natsu and Lucy turned beet red and looked like kids caught with their hand in the candy jar yet, to Gray's surprise, they did not jump away from each other. After the couple exchanged a knowing look, Lucy smiled apologetically and spoke brightly. "Sorry. We were going to tell you but I thought it might make things awkward…"

"So, you thought sneaking off every night was less awkward?" Erza scoffed playfully, leading the couple to blush again.

"That obvious, huh?" Natsu finally spoke nervously.

"Definitely." This time it was Wendy who sat up, chiming in. "It was definitely obvious."

With that last confirmation, everyone laughed. The tension broke and, as their travels continued, there was a lot less sneaking around. Natsu and Lucy grew closer together and before long it was as if they had always been lovers.

The next evolution in the Natsu and Lucy relationship came nearly a year and a half later, about two-and-a-half years after leaving for their quest. Things had been progressing fairly rapidly in the past few months and they were following one lead after another trying to track down the people they needed to speak with. As the days wore on during that time, Lucy felt irritable and found herself getting tired far quicker than she was used to. She knew something was off but pushed the feelings aside and tried to hide it from the others since she did not want to hold them back. Frequently Wendy had asked her if she was okay but every time Lucy assured her that she was fine.

After a few weeks of that, Lucy woke up feeling awful. Thankfully, no one else was awake, so she was able to sneak off into the woods to be sick in private. She literally felt like everything she had ever eaten came back up in one foul swoop. There was no holding it back. She didn't even know anyone else was there with her until she felt hands pull her hair away from her face before they rubbed her back softly. When Lucy got everything out and could finally sit back, she looked over to see Wendy beside her looking concerned. "Thank you, Wendy."

There was a long silence between them as the girls' eyes met. Lucy had figured out what was wrong with her about a week earlier. Judging from the look in the Sky Dragon Slayer's eyes, she knew that Wendy knew too. "Are you ok?" Wendy finally asked softly.

"Yes. … No. … Honestly, I don't even know…" Lucy finally answered, diverting her eyes to look up at the sky. She knew that her current condition would change everything and, although in many ways it was exciting, it would also affect their friends and she felt a genuine sense of guilt over that.

"Have you told Natsu?" Wendy asked softly, cutting right to the heart of the matter.

With eyes still focused on the sky, Lucy shook her head. "I know that I have to… I know that I need to… Yet… I don't want to be a burden." With her biggest fear put into words, Lucy felt silent tears roll down her cheeks and before long, she felt Wendy's arms wrap around her shoulders, holding her tightly.

"No one will think you are a burden, Lucy. This is a good thing, right? Everyone will be happy."

Upon hearing the words she most needed in that moment, Lucy looked back down at the younger girl before her and smiled despite her tears. And before she could say anything, Wendy looked her straight in the eyes and added, "Especially Natsu."

That afternoon Wendy made excuses to get the others out of the way, leaving Lucy free to give Natsu the news. A series of emotions played out on his face when she told him the truth point blank. After what felt like an eternity to the woman waiting for a reply, Natsu smiled brightly and grabbed her tightly by the arms looking her straight in the eyes.

"I'm gonna be a dad?" The unbridled excitement in his voice swept away any lingering doubts Lucy felt, and the relief led to a new wave of tears all over again.

"Yeah," she answered with a smile, not even bothering to wipe her face.

The next moment Lucy was picked up into a massive bear hug. Natsu crushed her so tightly that she could hardly breathe, but she didn't even care. That moment was the beginning of their family and although the future was a bit scary at the moment, knowing how happy they were made anything and everything seem possible.

That night, Natsu and Lucy told everyone else the news. Natsu could not get the stupid smile off his face. Although Gray and Erza were surprised, they quickly congratulated the expectant parents with hugs and smiles. However, as soon as that was over, Gray said what everyone else was thinking.

"We should head home now." His tone was a matter of fact.

"But the mission…" Lucy began. She had known that this would probably happen when the truth came out but she still couldn't help feeling guilty. By leaving the job unfinished, it felt like all of their hard work was for nothing. It was Erza who took Lucy's hand and shook her head.

"It's fine, Lucy. This is more important," her smile was completely sincere as she spoke. "Besides, we have good information to share. It will be enough to get us a good reward from whoever takes the job next."

And with that, the 100 Year Quest ended after two-and-a-half years.


	2. Chapter 2

The Future Is Ours

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

_Natsu & Lucy – Continued_

Team Natsu returned to the guild in mid x796 when Lucy was just ending her first trimester. Because she was just beginning to show, she'd worn a loose-fitting shirt for their grand return to. Although Lucy knew that everyone would learn the truth in a matter of days, she didn't want her slight baby bump to be how they found out.

As per usual, Natsu kicked the door in and announced his return home loudly. For it being early in the evening, the guild was surprising full. The enthusiastic greetings were nearly overwhelming until a life preserver came to Lucy in the form of a familiar voice from across the room.

"Lu-chan!" Levi's voice called out clearly over all the others.

When Lucy found her friend, she smiled brightly and waved. "Levy-chan!" From across the room, she saw Levy and Gajeel with two blue-haired little ones, clearly the Ryuu and Mari that her friend had mentioned so often in her letters.

The Celestial Spirit mage took one step towards the family before she saw Levy's face change. The diminutive girls smile changed from happy to conspiratorial in an instant causing Lucy to freeze in place. She watched Levy whisper something to Gajeel, place her daughter into his lap and then run her way. She didn't even stop when she reached Lucy, instead Levy took her firmly by the hand and dragged the tired and confused blonde back out the door she'd just arrived through.

Levy led Lucy outside the guild gates and down the road to a bench far away from prying eyes before she sat down in a huff, dragging her friend down beside her. "Oh my god, Lu! Tell me everything! When did it happen? How long have you been together? How did Natsu react? How far along are you?!"

The barrage of questions nearly overwhelmed Lucy as she struggled to catch her breath. Her mind was spinning. She didn't understand how Levy could know yet she very clearly did know! "Wait… What?! How do you know?!"

"HA! I was right! I knew it!", the bluenette squealed in delight, her eyes wide with excitement! "Honestly, Lu. A lot of us girls have been pregnant since you left. I'm getting pretty good at spotting it. Besides, when have you ever worn a loose-fitting shirt?" That last rhetorical question was thrown in with a knowing smirk as she unabashedly reached out and touched Lucy's lower abdomen.

"And here I thought I might get away with it for just tonight," Lucy said with a halfhearted sigh. In truth, Lucy was just thrilled to have someone to confide in who had been in her shoes and before long she was smiling brightly along with her friend. "I should be almost three months by now."

And from there, the two women chatted excitedly for nearly an hour before they made their way back to the guild. It wasn't until they stepped inside and felt the heavy tension in the room that Lucy knew something was off. Looking across to the bar, she saw the problem and knew the news was already out.

Gildarts and Erza were standing in front of Natsu looking stern while everyone else in the guild who'd been quietly watching the showdown turned to look at Lucy. Instantly her face grow hot, but she tried to act like she didn't noticed until Cana spoke up for everyone.

"Congratulations, Lucy!" She laughed loudly with a wave despite holding her own sleeping daughter in her arms. "Welcome to the club!"

Everyone in the room roared with laughter. Even as she thanked Cana with the best smile she could muster, Lucy just wanted to hide. She was seriously considering summoning Virgo to help when she heard Gildarts talking to Natsu.

"You're going to marry her, right?"

"I'm sorry. What?!" Embarrassment instantly forgotten; Lucy walked over to the men looking confused. "Who's marrying who?"

"Natsu is marrying you, obviously!" Erza looked exasperated. Clearly, she had been the one to tell Gildarts the news. Erza was very much a protective big sister to Natsu, so this betrayal wasn't all that surprising.

"Huh?!" Her jaw dropped. "W-Wait, um…"

Although she had no problem with marrying Natsu, and the idea had popped into head more times than she would ever admit, they had never talked about it. It just wasn't the top priority right now. Saying that Natsu wasn't the most experienced person with relationships was being kind. Lucy was pretty sure that marriage hadn't even crossed his mind, and that was ok. Natsu was Natsu and she loved him for who he was. That being said, obviously this wasn't enough for Gildarts and Erza.

While Lucy was at a loss to say anything else, Natsu looked at Erza, then Gildarts and then finally at her before smiling brightly. "Yeah. Of course, I'll marry Lucy!"

You could have heard a pin drop in that room while everyone processed what had just happened in a matter of seconds. It wasn't until Lucy passed out cold into Natsu's arms that the entire guild erupted at once.

* * *

_Gray and Juvia _

Gray wasn't all that surprised when he realized that Juvia was not at the guild bar with everyone else. For some unknown reason, everyone had their kids in the bar tonight and the bar itself seemed more kid friendly than ever which Gray didn't think it was a bad but a lot had changed in the last couple of years. Knowing Juvia and her penchant for getting lonely or even jealous, he could image hanging out in that environment regularly would be tiring. He wasn't immediately sure where he would find her but a quick conversation with Mirajane put him on the right path and he set out towards town.

Mirajane had told him that Juvia was renting an apartment near Lucy's place and, more than likely, she was there. However, Mira had also told him that she'd been planning to leave on a job soon so he had better hurry before he missed her. Following the directions Mira had given him, he found himself standing in front of the large building where Juvia lived on the 3rd floor. He had to stifle a laugh as he looked at the building because right above it and only above just that building, there was a dark cloud. It wasn't raining but Gray suspected that Juvia was upset about something. He also knew was that he was the best person to whisk that cloud away.

Quickly, Gray made his way inside and to the front door of her unit. He was a little surprised by how nervous he felt. He'd been thinking about this day for a long time. He'd thought it would be further down the road but Lucy's pregnancy had sped up the process. That being said, he had no regrets. Truthfully, part of the reason he'd suggested ending the job was selfish. Gray missed Juvia and as the days, months and even years ticked by, that feeling of longing continually increased. No amount of letters and packages made up for seeing the person you loved in the flesh.

Taking a deep breath, Gray didn't even bother knocking. He simply opened the door and let himself in. Juvia's room was as crazy as ever with little dolls of him all over but he was used to it by now and took it in stride. When he couldn't find the water mage in the living room or kitchen, he headed to the bedroom in the back. The door was half closed so he peeked in and finally got his first sight of her. She was lying in bed, fast asleep, on top of the covers. She was only wearing a cropped tank top and panties, hugging one of her larger dolls. She looked even more beautiful in person than he remembered in his dreams and his heart did a flip. It was actually really nice to get to see Juvia like this before she woke up, saw him and attacked him like he knew she would.

He made his way quietly across the room and sat down on the bed next to her. Carefully he reached out and pushed a loose strand of hair away from her face before leaning down to kiss her lips gently. Only then did she stir. Sitting back, Gray watched as her eyes fluttered open slowly, trying to focus on his face. "Gray-sama?"

"I'm home," he breathed with a contended sigh. Internally he braced himself for impact as he smiled at her.

He watched her eyes blink several times as she took him in again and again. She was trying to judge if he was really there and he nearly laughed but, before he could, it all clicked into place for her. In a flash, he was on his back.

"Gray-sama! Welcome home!" Juvia'd pounced him and was smiling brightly despite the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Right at that moment, the late afternoon sunlight broke through the clouds and shone straight into Juvia's bedroom window. Their eyes locked and for the first time in a long time, Gray felt complete.

A week after he returned, Gray asked Juvia to marry him and she immediately accepted. Gray had known for many years that he would marry Juvia, but he'd wanted to wait until they were both ready for that next step. That was the reason he'd waited so long to answer her feelings. Dating Juvia casually had never been an option.

As soon as Lucy heard news of their engagement, she immediately invited Gray and Juvia to get married at the same time. There were many reasons for this:

1) She knew that Natsu didn't care.

2) She knew that two weddings would be a hassle and having just one big event would be easier for everyone.

3) She was getting a little self-conscious of her growing baby belly and didn't necessarily want all eyes on her for the entire day.

4) Most importantly, Gray and Juvia were two of their best friends in the entire world. The couples had faced death together more times than Lucy could count and she couldn't imagine anything better than sharing one of the happiest days of their lives together.

In the fall of x796, at 5 months pregnant, Lucy married Natsu and Gray married Juvia in a double wedding inside the guildhall.

In January of x797, Nashi Dragneel became to the newest family member in Fairy Tail.

Juvia realized that she was late about two weeks after Nashi was born. Not wanting to get Gray's hopes up for nothing, Juvia kept her suspicions a secret for nearly a week before she'd built up the courage to go visit Porlyusica. Within minutes, Mrs. Fullbuster was receiving congratulations from the normally ill-tempered woman. Juvia wanted to run straight to Gray and scream out the good news at the top of her lungs, but she couldn't.

Of all the members of her Fairy Tail family, Gray was the one who most remembered his own parents. Their loss and losing Ur were a pain he still felt every day. Juvia knew that, although he rarely talked about it, having a family of his own was very important to him. She knew that he wanted to have the type of nuclear family life that had been denied to him so many times before. That's why she knew that this moment needed to be extra special.

She thought about asking Lucy for help but with a brand new infant, her hands were full. Also, it only seemed fair that Gray should be the first to hear about it. So that night, Juvia set to work on a plan to give her husband the good news. Three days later, the plan was set. Gray had been off on a job with Erza for the last week so the water mage had been knitting in secret day and night making a sweater. She was well aware that it would probably never get worn but it was all she could think of. Also, she was so eager to tell him that keeping busy was the only thing that kept her from trying to run to his side.

When Gray returned home, Juvia had dinner ready and she was dressed up a little more than usual. He noticed that his wife also couldn't keep the large smile off of her face and her usual enthusiasm was turned up a notch. Warning alarms went off in his head as Gray looked walked in the door and looked things over. The apartment was always clean, but that night it was eat-off-the-floor clean. Also, the table was formally set and dinner consisted of all of his favorite foods.

"I've only been gone a week…" he said warily, sitting down at the table eyeing it all.

"Welcome home, Gray-sama!" she called brightly, rushing in to give him a hug and a quick kiss before returning to the kitchen to finish everything up.

To Gray, even that was weird. Normally Juvia would practically assault him at the front door. Something was definitely up, but he had no idea what that could be and that made him more than a little nervous. Thankfully Juvia had all the food out and ready to eat before he could over think it. As the meal progressed, and they talked casually, Gray let his guard down. If Juvia could act normal enough through dinner, then surely whatever was on her mind couldn't be that terrible.

It wasn't until they'd finished everything and put it away that Juvia pulled a bag practically out of thin air and shoved it into his arms. "Juvia made you a present!"

"…a present?…" All of his earlier suspicions crept up again as he turned the bag over in his hands. "You've been acting weird all evening…"

"Just open the present!" she nearly shouted, her own nerves getting the better of her. However, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she instantly regretted it and found herself apologizing. "No. … Sorry. … It's just…" Juvia fought the urge to cry as she tried to explain herself to Gray. Nothing was going right.

Gray watched as Juvia fought back tears and he realized that whatever was going on in that head of hers was really important. Otherwise she wouldn't be acting so evasive. With a heavy sigh, he forced a smile her way and opened the package before she could start crying in earnest. Peeking inside, Gray could see that, once again, she had knitted him something, and he fought back the urge to remind her that he was an ice mage who didn't get cold. Yet, it took a single glance over at his wife's anxious expression to shut his mouth and pull out the gift.

He could feel Juvia watching him closely from the seat beside him as he pulled the item out of its packaging. Quickly he realized that the item was a sweater which meant that there was probably not a chance in hell he would ever wear it out of the house but he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he unfolded the sweater to get a look at it and in an instant it all became crystal clear.

Gray stared at the sweater for a long time until the tears came that made the word knitted into the front blur illegibly. He literally had no words, but he didn't need them. With tears streaming down his cheeks, Gray put the sweater on the table and turned to his wife. He buried his face into the front of her shirt and wept.

Later that night Juvia walked into the guild hall hand in hand with Gray who wore a knitted sweater with the word Dad across front in large black letters.

In late fall of x797 Slate Fullbuster was born to the happiest parents in all of Magnolia. Just one month later, Gajeel and Levy welcomed their 3rd child, Akemi Redfox into the world as well.

* * *

_Jellal & Erza_

For this story we will need to backtrack just a bit. This story begins in late x796, not long after the joint weddings of her dearest friends.

Although Erza felt wholehearted joy seeing the men who had essentially been her little brothers get married to wonderful women, there was also a growing sense of loneliness that had crept into her heart. In just a few short years, Erza had found herself surrounded by happy couples who were moving forward with their lives and starting families and doing all of those things that Erza had hardly ever dreamed of. It came to the point that somehow she ended up feeling as though she was on the outside looking in at her Fairy Tail family. When it all piled up, she knew that it was time to step away for a while.

After talking candidly with Mirajane and then later with Master Guildarts, Erza decided to take an extended vacation. She knew that it wasn't good for her to fall into a pit of self pity and it wasn't good for her friends who worried about her even more than she realized. So, when Lucy was seven months pregnant, Erza set off from Fairy Tail with no real destination in mind.

For about a month, she just wandered here and there. She took small jobs every once in a while but really, she just found herself thinking a lot. In fact, she thought too much. Before she knew it, it was time for the holidays. Christmas had always been her favorite holiday. Some of her best memories were at Christmas parties with her friends (although said parties usually ended with a room full of highly intoxicated, unconscious, naked people) but still, those days were wonderful memories. So it was no surprise that the holidays left her feeling just a little more down than usual.

It was the morning of Christmas Eve when she walked into a new city only to realize that it was the very town where Crime Sorciere headquarters was located. Somehow her feet had unconsciously brought her there, and she instantly felt embarrassed. For a split second she considered turning right back around and leaving. She hadn't seen Jellal in a long time. Although they had stayed in touch over the years, it still seemed a bit much to just show up at the man's doorstep unannounced. And to make things worse, it was Christmas Eve. Surely even if he was in town somewhere, he had plans of his own. But, as soon as she considered leaving, she knew that she couldn't.

Erza was sick of running and she was sick of taking a backseat to everyone else. She had been in love with Jellal for nearly her entire life and even if they were not destined to be together every day, did that mean she wasn't allowed to have any happiness of her own? Pulling herself together, Erza made a split decision. She decided that although she hadn't planned to come see Jellal, perhaps it was fate. Erza knew that if she was ever going to take a chance with Jellal, that time was now and she would not let that opportunity go to waste.

It was late afternoon when Erza walked right up to the front of the now official Crime Sorciere guild hall. It wasn't huge like Fairy Tail or gaudy. Instead, it was big enough for their group and even a little understated. It seemed perfect for a guild that had once worked solely in the shadows. Taking a deep breath, Erza reached out towards the door when a familiar voice called her name from only a few feet behind her.

"Erza?!"

In a flash all of Erza's tension melted as she spun around and found herself face to face with Meredy who was smiling from ear to ear. "Hi, Meredy."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Erza returned the hug and let out a sigh. "Honestly, I don't even know. I ended up in town here so I wanted to come by and say hello."

"Good! Come inside! Everyone will be happy to see you!"

Before Erza could even collect her thoughts, Meredy took her by the hand and threw open the doors to the guild loudly announcing her presence. "Look everyone! Santa brought us a present!"

Shocked at Meredy's words, Erza felt herself blush deeply as she was flung into the center of the room. Maybe it was due to the holiday but everyone was there. Meredy, the Oracion Seis and of course Jellal who met her eyes immediately and looked just as shocked as she felt.

"Erza?!" It seemed more like he was talking to himself than to her and it was clear that she was the last person he had expected to pass through those doors. Somehow that made her feel even more self-conscious, and she quickly found herself making excuses.

"S-sorry to interrupt. I just h-happened to be in town and I-"

As she was stumbling over her apologetic words, Jellal seemed to get himself collected because he stood up and walked over to her with a smile. "It's good to see you."

Those words stopped her own in their tracks. His smile was the gentle one that she loved so much and despite her efforts, she left a blush creep into her cheeks. Everyone else in the room seemed to fade away because, to her, this was the moment she'd been waiting for. "It's good to see you too."

That night they welcomed Erza into Crime Sorciere as an honored guest. Although the Christmas party with her new friends wasn't nearly as exciting as the ones she'd shared with her family, it was new and wonderful and exactly what she needed to begin feeling like herself again. Suddenly all that pent up frustration and jealously that had been plaguing her, which she had tried so hard to deny, seemed to just fade away. And the feelings of love, that she had been holding back for so long, began to bloom.

Her visit to Crime Sorciere that was supposed to be one night somehow turned into two, then it was a week, then it was a month and before she knew it, it had been a year. In that time, Jellal and Erza had finally crossed that elusive bridge in their relationship and had finally become the lovers that they desperately wanted to be. Things felt so right and the couple was so happy spending their days and especially their nights together. However, in the back of their minds, they both knew that it couldn't last forever. Erza's true home was Fairy Tail. It always was and always would be. No matter how much love she felt for Jellal, there was no way that she would abandon her family long term.

Jellal was much the same. Crime Sorciere had become his family. He was their leader, and they needed him there. Although Jellal had once masqueraded as a Fairy Tail member in the Grand Magic Tournament, his destiny lay somewhere else entirely. Jellal and Erza were truly star-crossed lovers. Yet, it was not until the following Christmas that the couple made the hardest decision of their lives.

Erza lay in bed letting the light of the early morning sunshine wash over her while Jellal rested his head gently on her six-month pregnant belly, not wanting to have the conversation they both knew was coming. Just a few days before, Crime Sorciere had accepted a long-term job that would take them across the country for at least a year if not longer. It would be hard and dangerous and even if Erza had been a full-fledged member of the guild, it was no place for a pregnant woman or a baby. When the decision was made, both Jellal and Erza knew that it was time for the fairy tale to end.

"Can you make me a promise?" Erza finally spoke softly, breaking the silence.

"And what promise is that?" he asked sadly, his eyes still focused on her swollen belly. He couldn't dare meet her eyes just then.

"Promise me, even if we aren't together every day, that you'll love our child." He could hear that her voice was at its breaking point and he knew that tears of his own had begun to fall even before she added, "And promise me you'll come to visit when you get home."

"I promise."

Later that day, before either of them could lose their nerve, Erza left Crime Sorciere and Jellal and made her way back to Fairy Tail where she had a lot of explaining to do.

In her absence, Nashi Dragneel, Slate Fullbuster and Akemi Redfox had all been born in x797.

In early x798, Erza gave birth to Dillon Fernandes inside the Fairy Tail guild with Lucy and Juvia at her side. By the end of the year, Dillon was joined by Daisy Strauss and Haruki Fullbuster.

In x799, Nashi Dragneel became the big sister to a little boy name Aki who was the spitting image of Natsu. Not long after, Laxus and Lisanna welcomed their second son, Gabriel Dreyar.

* * *

_Elfman & Evergreen_

In x800, Evergreen was pregnant with Elfman's fourth child. From the start, the pregnancy was different than the others had been. She felt ill early on and had little to no energy as things progressed. Porlyusica ordered Ever to bed rest around her sixth month, leaving Elfman to care for his three daughters practically on his own. Thankfully, Aunt Mira moved in to help with the girls and care for Evergreen taking some stress off her little brother. It was a rough time for everyone.

But the real danger came when Evergreen went into labor. Everything seemed wrong. She was losing too much blood, and the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck. When the baby was finally out, it was the boy that the couple has always dreamed of having but he wasn't breathing. Seconds felt like hours as they fought to save both mother and baby. Just when things seemed like they might make a turn for the worst, Katsuo Strauss began to breathe on his own. Shortly their after, Evergreen's bleeding came under control and the danger slowly passed.

Recovery for Evergreen took time and the couple ultimately decided that they were done having kids. Katsuo, on the other hand, was a fighter. In a matter of days, he was putting on weight and thriving. He was a little blessing to the family. Between his parents and big sisters, Katsuo was destined to be a spoiled child.


	3. Chapter 3

The Future Is Ours

_By: juvia0613 (aka FayeValentine00)_

* * *

_Wendy Marvell_

After the 100 Year Quest ended and Team Natsu returned to Fairy Tail, Wendy helped to care for all the new additions to the guild and she loved it. She enjoyed helping to babysit the children, playing games with them and watching them grow. She had become a pro at changing diapers, burping babies and rocking them to sleep. It'd practically become a full-time job.

However, as she grew up, Wendy realized that aside from jobs and battles, she hadn't really had a chance to see a lot of the world around her. Slowly she realized that what she really wanted to do was travel and learn more about the world outside of her Fairy Tail safety net.

Beginning at 17, Wendy began to speak with Carla about traveling and visiting new places. Fairy Tail would always be her home and her family yet she couldn't help but feel like there was something else out in the world for her to see. However, every time she spoke to Carla about it, she would back down when reminded of how lucky she was to have such a wonderful family all around her.

It wasn't until x798 that she finally put her desires into motion. One night after all the children and most of the adults had gone to bed, Wendy stayed up to drink with Cana since Shayla was with her father at Quatro Cerberus for the night. Over the years, the brown-haired beauty had become a close friend and Cana was the only one who'd always tell Wendy what she needed to hear, not necessarily what she wanted to hear. That night, after a few drinks, Wendy felt her defenses breakdown and she ended up telling Cana exactly how she felt.

"No matter how old I get, everyone is always treating me like a child or a little sister. I'm the same age now that Lucy was when we defeated Acnologia yet they still act like I am too small to make my own decisions! I'm a grown woman. I want to be treated like it! I just want to see what it would be like to take care of myself for once!" With frustrated tears, made worse by the alcohol, Wendy vented to Cana desperately.

"Then do it," the elder girl told her bluntly, swinging her bottle wildly towards the door. "Go out there! See the world! Be an adult! Then run back and tell us everything you've learned."

Wendy's jaw dropped in shock at the simple solution that Cana laid out for her. She made it sound so easy but was it, really? Could she just go? "D-Do you really think I can?"

"Look Wendy, if you want to be treated like an adult, you have to act like one. If people can't see that you've grown up, you just have to show them, right?"

Wendy's mind was blown. Sure, it would be risky to leave and try to figure things out on her own, but she also felt like it was the only way that they would take seriously her as an adult in the guild. She'd never even had a boyfriend! It was time to just go out and live for a while. She would figure out the rest later. Regardless of what Carla said, Wendy knew that this was something she needed to do. With the decision made, the Dragon Slayer felt a huge smile spread across her face.

"You're right!", she exclaimed, jumping up to her feet. "I'm gonna do it!"

"Well said," Cana laughed boisterously, raising her bottle in salute.

A few days later, Wendy and Carla said goodbye to her friends and set off to explore more of the world. Little did Wendy know, it would be five years before she saw them again.

For a few months, Wendy and Carla traveled around the continent visiting towns, countries and sites they'd never seen before. A few times she came in to contact with old friends and contacts from her previous jobs but, mostly, everyone she met and spoke with were new and exciting and had all sorts of different ways of looking at the world. They quickly learned that every town had its own traditions, festivals and superstitions. Wendy became immersed in all kinds of historical facts and places. It was fascinating.

One day in early x799, the sun was glowing in a cloudless sky when Carla and Wendy arrived at a small lakeside town in the country of Bellum. As the ladies flew along the water's edge, they were drawn to a large meadow filled with wildflowers of every color imaginable. Even from the sky they could smell their sweet fragrance and the partners decided that it was the best possible place for a short break.

Wendy laid down among a cluster of Forget-Me-Nots and allowed the warm breeze to caress her bare shoulders and arms. This place, with its majestic mountains to East and the seemingly endless waters to the West, was exactly the sort of place she'd been hoping to find when she set out from Fairy Tail. The peaceful beauty of the scenery gave her a chance to ponder exactly what she wanted out of life. Yet, as beautiful as it was, Wendy was missing home, her friends and even the excitement of the guildhall. She was beginning to think that it was time to head home and get back to work.

The Sky Dragon Slayer had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the man approach until Carla jumped to her feet and positioned herself in front of Wendy, fully alert.

"I see you found my meadow." The man spoke in a deep baritone that resonated deep within Wendy. She couldn't put a finger on the sensation but it was not unpleasant.

The way the man gestured around him gave an air of possessiveness and only then did the bluenette realize that they might be trespassing. With a tinge of panic, Wendy jumped to her feet and slapped her hands together apologetically. "Is this your land?! I'm so sorry! We were just flying by and stopped for a look. We can go right away and-"

Her words broke off when the man laughed, a deep, friendly sound. Only when she finally looked up to meet his eyes, did she realize that she was looking at the most attractive man she'd ever seen. That was saying a lot because Wendy had quite a few attractive men in her acquaintance.

He looked to be in his mid 20's and was very tall like Laxus but his build was lean and muscular like Sting. He had very light blonde hair and the most brilliant, clear blue eyes that seemed to look right through you. His clothes were nice and gave the impression of understated wealth and the way he carried himself with confidence.

By the time man finished laughing, Wendy realized too late that she'd been gawking. With cheek burning, she turned her eyes away and fought to regain her composure. Thankfully, he saved her from having to speak when he made the first introductions.

"My name is Dugal. Dugal Apollyon. And yes, this entire area is mine," he said, gesturing in a broad arc before pointing to a cluster of trees to the south. "My home is just there beyond those trees. May I ask whom I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

Wendy opened her mouth to respond but Carla beat her to it. Her lifelong friend and partner used her bossiest tone as she spoke, exposing the fact that she didn't trust the man. "My name is Carla, and we were just passing through."

"Well, that's a shame." Dugal sounded genuinely disappointed. Despite who was speaking, his brilliant eyes never left Wendy's. "And who, may I ask, is your beautiful companion?"

"I-I'm Wendy Marvell." The words came out almost automatically because she was stunned. Wendy couldn't recall ever being called beautiful before. Cute? Yes. Adorable? Yes. But never beautiful.

"Nice to meet you, Wendy," he replied with a dazzling smile that was a perfect match for his good looks. "I do hope you'll stay for a little while. It's not often that a lovely woman just falls from the sky." He jokes, pointing into the air to imply he'd seen their approach.

Did he just compliment her again?! Her heart was pounding in her chest as she chuckled self-consciously. It occurred to her that Dugal might also be the most charming man she'd ever met. "I guess not," she managed awkwardly.

Carla watched the scene unfold and wasn't quite sure how to proceed. She wanted to protect Wendy but from what? Even she could appreciate how attractive he was, and the man had done nothing to be concerned about other than shower her friend with some long overdue compliments, so she said nothing. Instead, she stepped back and watched as Wendy and Dugal chatted casually about their travels, Bellum and about all the interesting nearby places they might enjoy during their stay.

Having lost track of time, it was early evening when Wendy felt her stomach growl. That was a clear sign they'd stayed too long but the Dragon Slayer wasn't the slightest bit upset about it. She'd spent the entire afternoon speaking to a man who was both interesting and interested. It was an experience she knew she wouldn't forget even long after she returned to Fairy Tail.

As their conversation wrapped up, Dugal reluctantly climbed to his feet before holding out his hand to help her up. It was such a simple gesture and one that her many "big brothers" had done for her many times in the past but it was the first time it'd made her heart skip a beat.

"Are you sure I can't persuade you to stay for dinner?", he asked her with a slight pout that made his handsome face appear more childish and playful.

"Thank you but no," Wendy sighed, glancing over at Carla who seemed more than ready to be on their way. She truly was too overprotective. "We need to get back."

The ladies were just about to leave when Dugal reached out taking Wendy's right hand in both of his. Surprised, the blue-haired girl looked up and their eyes met again. "Can I see you again tomorrow?"

Her answer left her lips before she'd even had time to consider the consequences. "Sure. I'd like that."

Her smile matched his and then Carla swept her up and away from the beautiful meadow owned by the most captivating man the wizard had ever met.

As promised, the following day Wendy and Carla returned to the field where Dugal was waiting with a welcoming smile. Wendy felt her pulse quicken. It was a whole new sensation for the young woman who'd never given her own love life much attention before now.

"Welcome back, Wendy" he greeted, leading her to a blanket he'd laid out complete with a basket and cushions. He'd provided them with a picnic.

"And you as well, Carla." Dugal reached out to shake the hand of the Exceed in her human form. Wendy was busy taking in the surroundings and wasn't paying attention to the exchange when the man met Carla's eyes rather intensely. "Do you like it here?" he asked her, a hint of authority in his tone.

"Yes, I do," the answer coming immediately. "It's beautiful."

"Don't you think that you could be happy living here?" It sounded more like a statement than a question, his serious voice concealed behind a dazzling smile.

"Yes, I do." Even Carla was a little confused at how confident she was answering his questions but she meant the words she spoke. Bellum was beautiful and it seemed like an idyllic place to live. She suddenly realized that this lakeside home would be the perfect place to lay down roots.

His eyes never left Carla's as he pressed a little further. "Would you mind terribly, giving me some time alone with Wendy? I'd like to get to know her better."

Some tiny part of the Exceed rejected the idea. She was still Wendy's protector, adult or not, and she needed to keep the girl safe. But, when she looked at Dugal, he appeared so sincere and nonthreatening. When pressed, she couldn't think of a single good reason to deny him. However, when she did not immediately answer, Dugal brought his face a little closer with a conspiratorial gleam in those clear, perfect eyes. "Please, Carla?"

"Okay." The word came out of her mouth of its own volition and she nodded. Deep in her heart, she was overcome with the warm confidence that everything would be fine.

"Wendy, I'm going into town to pick up a few things. I'll be back later." Then, without waiting for a reply, Carla reverted to her cat form and flew off towards town.

"Carla?!" Wendy felt shocked. She hadn't been paying attention to their conversation. Her partner hadn't left her side for more than five minutes since their trip began. Now Carla'd gone off and left her with a man they'd only just met, far away from another living soul. It didn't make any sense. She was about to call her back when Dugal took Wendy's hand in his, drawing her attention.

When their eyes met, the Dragon Slayer was sure her heart would burst. He was so ridiculously handsome, and the look of admiration on his face made her beautiful.

"Carla will be back soon. Let's take this time to talk." A warm, calming sensation flowed through her body, wiping away her concerns and replacing them with contentment. "I'd really love to get to know you better," he breathed, moving closer to her on the blanket.

"Me too," she admitted easily, and she meant it. Wendy had hardly slept the night before. This unbelievable man had even invaded her dreams, and she'd already pinned a few ridiculous hopes on this man she barely knew.

His finger trailed across the guild stamp on her bare arm, causing goosebumps to rise. His touch felt warm to her cool skin, creating a delicious feeling of anticipation. "Fairy Tail?"

"Yes." A smile crossed her face as she thought about her friend's back home and she was a little surprised that he recognized the guild stamp. "I've been a member since I was twelve."

He continued to look her in the eyes with their hands intertwined. "Then would you be the same Wendy Marvell that is the Sky Dragon Slayer?"

Her mouth fell open. How could he know that? Why would he know that? Although it seemed crazy, those questions and the underlying concern were only fleeting. Her thoughts quickly turned to pleasure at the idea that he'd even bothered to take an interest in her. She rationalized his knowledge with the idea that if he'd ever read Sorcerers Weekly, Dugal could probably recognize her easily. So after the slightest hesitation, she answered him warmly.

"Yes, but I'm not nearly as amazing as Natsu or Gajeel… Or even Sting and Rogue," she added quickly. She didn't want him to expect too much from her.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," he practically purred in his deep baritone. "You're the young woman who's held her own with those men for years. Are you not?"

"I guess so," she managed breathlessly.

For the next several hours the couple spoke about everything. Wendy told him about her friends, the guild and their adventures. She told him things she would normally have protected as guild secrets yet Dugal made her feel completely at peace. The warm, calm sensation she felt in his presence was like a salve to her soul. When she was with him, she realized that she didn't want to be alone anymore. Having this perfect man to take care of her seemed to be the most perfect dream imaginable.

In return, Dugal explained that he worked as a merchant under his father. He told her about his accomplishments in their family business and how they'd seen major growth in the last few years. He also told her about the area near his home and explained that it was a perfect place to raise a family. As they spoke, Wendy realized that she was falling for him, and when he moved in for a kiss, her first kiss, she didn't resist.

His lips brushed hers ever so gently, lingering just long enough to cause Wendy's heart to race. Her eyes closed on their own accord when he moved back in for another kiss. This time he stayed and his fingers wound themselves into her hair, holding her closer. She savored each moment they touched and before long she'd wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging tightly. The experience was delicious and Wendy thought that if she could have this experience every day, she'd never leave.

After that, Dugal and Wendy saw each other every day, sometimes joined by Carla and other times they were able to enjoy each other's company alone. With every meeting, the Dragon Slayer fell more and more in love with him. And as she fell deeper in love, her desire to return to Magnolia waned.

Within a month, he'd completely won them over. Wendy and Carla moved into his perfect little lakeside cottage just near the meadow where they'd first met. In that home, Wendy felt a sense of peace and she was never lonely. In fact, Wendy had never felt happier than she did when she was in Dugal's arms. Her happiness was all-encompassing. His home became hers and she never looked back.

Early into their relationship, Wendy thought about writing to her friends to check in and pass along her contact information but each time she'd begun, she'd found herself putting it off. Either something came up, or she became distracted. Either way, she never sent the intended message and eventually she simply didn't remember to write at all.

Although Dugal and Wendy never married, they welcomed their son, Kichirou, into the world during the summer of x800. Two years later, they welcomed a daughter named Piper, in the Fall of x802. Both children had blue hair like their mother and they were blessed with the brilliant blue eyes of their father.

Wendy's number one focus was her children. Since she'd never known her own parents, she wanted to ensure that Kichirou and Piper understood just how much their parents loved them. Dugal doted on his children. He was home every night to tuck them in. His biggest joy was taking them on walks along the lake in the evenings while Wendy made dinner.

Every night Dugal focused his attention on Wendy. He'd look deep into her eyes and tell her just how much he loved her. He would hold her in his arm and cherish her, never allowing her a moment to doubt his love.

Before she knew it, more than four years had passed without a single note to her friends. It never occurred to her that her Fairy Tail family would be worried and she never dreamed that they'd put out a search party for the missing women. To Wendy, everything that'd happened in her life before meeting Dugal simply felt a dream.

Wendy's new life with Dugal and their children was perfect. Instead of worrying about the past, she'd moved forward trying to create the best possible home for her loved ones.


	4. Chapter 4

The Future Is Ours

Chapter 4

By: juvia0613 (aka FayeValentine00)

* * *

_Wendy Marvell (Continued)_

In early spring of x803, Wendy left Carla to watch over the napping children while she headed out for a walk. The sun was blazing high in the cloudless sky, making it just warm enough to enjoy the fresh air without a jacket. This was the kind of weather she liked the most. Birds were chirping and everything felt so fresh and clean. As a Sky Dragon Slayer, this was the air that made her feel the strongest.

Wendy made her way across the front garden of their home, heading towards the tree line. Her goal was to see the first few flowers of the season popping up in the meadow near the waterfront. As she tried to enjoy her rare moment of peaceful alone time, Wendy began to feel lonely. Dugal had been gone the last two nights for work and it occurred to her that this was the longest they'd been apart since the day they'd met. With him gone, it felt like a piece herself had been taken away as well.

And maybe it was because she was already feeling lonely but just that morning, Wendy had begun thinking about her friends at Fairy Tail again. She wondered why she'd only just remembered to think about them. She felt herself slowly growing more and more curious about how her friends were doing and she wondered how big the children had grown. She even contemplated how the guild itself was holding up.

A gentle nudge of guilt crept into Wendy's subconscious as she pieced together some old memories that had somehow slipped her mind. She could tell that the memories were important but trying to focus on them was like trying to catch smoke. The Dragon Slayer just couldn't get a grasp on anything tangible.

How long had it been since she'd contacted them? Had Wendy even told her friends about Kichirou and Piper… or even Dugal? She couldn't remember the answers to any of those questions and it felt surreal.

With her mind still trying to process the confused mess of information, Wendy wandered absentmindedly amongst the trees. She walked in the general direction of the meadow, paying little attention to anything, when two males voices coming from nearby stopped the mage in her tracks. No one should have been that close to their home and they certainly shouldn't have been hiding in the woods. Wendy crept through the trees until she could see where the men stood then watched and waited, fully alert.

"How long do you plan to defy me?" The first voice belonged to an older man who's back was to her, making it impossible to see his face. There was a coldness to his voice with an edge of menace.

"I'm not defying you. I've told you time and time again that I cannot force her to do something that she's morally opposed to. She won't join us." That second voice belonged to Dugal, the father of her children, but it wasn't the smooth, friendly voice she'd grown accustomed to. This Dugal sounded colder and the dark look in his clear blue eyes shone with barely suppressed anger.

"We need her power! I've told you that from the start! That's why I let you play house for so long," the first man spat. "If Perdition is going to succeed, we'll need to force her hand. … Or are you trying to tell me that the woman is more important than your family?... Your blood?"

"No, it's not-" Dugal stuttered, trying to collect his thoughts but the other man attacked relentlessly.

"Do you no longer care for your guild? Are you hoping that we'll fail?!" The unknown man was practically shouting, demanding answers that her lover didn't seem to have.

The men stood in tense silence as the father of Wendy's children carefully considered his response. When he finally spoke, it was slowly and carefully. "Of course, Perdition is my Priority. Everything I've ever done was to support it and you. I-I only stayed with Wendy in the hopes that I could bring her to our side but… I can't. My magic can't force a person to do something they're morally opposed to."

"Then be done with that woman!" The command was loud enough to cause several birds in the trees to flee. "Stop wasting your time and get back to work. With those children… in a few years we will have the power we need."

"The children?" A touch of apprehension had entered her lover's voice.

"Yes, the children," the elder parroted in a mocking tone. "Bring Kichirou and Piper tonight. When we raise them correctly, they'll do anything their father asks. We won't need to squabble about these petty things any longer."

"But, Wendy?"

"I don't care what you do but get rid of her. We already have what we need." The flippant way he spoke told of his utter disregard for the Dragon Slayer.

"I can't just take the-"

Dugal was cut off by the magic-laced booming voice of an exasperated old man. "You can and you will! You will bring me those children and you'll get rid of that woman tonight. If not, tomorrow I'll kill your precious Wendy and take the children myself. What is your answer?"

After a short pause, Dugal answered slowly. "I… I'll bring the children. Just… Just don't touch Wendy."

With a curt nod, the older man walked past Dugal and disappeared amongst the tree, leaving them alone.

Wendy couldn't breathe. As the men spoke, small cracks had begun to appear in the facade of her idyllic life. Line by line, it felt like pieces of the veil lifted one after another. Little by little things clicked into place. For the first time in years, she questioned her decisions up to this point. She was scared and confused and nothing happening on the other side of the trees made any sense.

Had they said something about a guild? But Dugal was a merchant and to her knowledge he had no guild affiliation.

She knew they'd said the name Perdition. If Wendy remembered correctly, Perdition was the largest dark guild in Bellum. It was one that the magic council had been watching for a long time.

But it was the last words Dugal spoke that had been the nail in the coffin. The illusion that had been so carefully created for her over the years shattered the moment she heard him promise her children to a dark guild. No matter what her lover's reasons were, this was the ultimate betrayal, an unforgivable sin. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to make sense of her swirling thoughts. When she opened them again, it was like Wendy was seeing world for the first time.

It was suddenly crystal clear what had happened. Dugal must have used some sort of illusion magic and subtle mind control that prevented her from focusing on anything other than him and their children. She could instantly see how strange it was that she'd forsaken her guild and abandoned her friends for this man. She understood how horrifying it was that she'd not once even considered contacting Fairy Tail. It was now undeniable that the perfection on her life had been nothing but a lie.

True rage began to build in her core and the surrounding wind swirled around her in response to her chaotic emotions. When she stepped out from the trees, see saw the man she'd loved whole heartedly in a whole new light. It was then she noticed the guild mark on his arm for the first time. Plain as day, the symbol for Perdition was clear, and it shocked Wendy that she'd never been able to see it before.

Knowing she'd been manipulated and lied too would have been enough to crush Wendy. Knowing that Dugal had been ordered to throw her away, and he had acquiesced made her want to run far away and never return but it was the threat to her children that kept the blue-haired woman rooted to the ground. Wind whipped her hair wildly as she took another step closer.

Dugal knew his spell was broken the moment he saw Wendy's face. In truth, he knew she'd been there the entire time, but by that point it was clear the game was over. No amount of magic would fix the cold anger that he saw in the eyes that were normally so warm and caring, so he didn't try. Instead, he just watched her walk closer and waited for her to speak.

The Dragon Slayer's hands were shaking and only anger kept her tears from spilling. Her heart felt like it'd been turned to dust but the need to protect her babies was infinitely more important than wallowing in self-pity.

"Why?" Her voice was barely a whisper, despite the wind tearing wildly around her.

Wendy thought Dugal might try to apologize or tell her that it was somehow all a misunderstanding but after a long moment, his eyes turned hard and cold, practically glaring. "I had an opportunity, so I took it."

"A-And none of it was real?" It was a miracle he could stay on his feet, let alone make out her words through the wind. The first large tear rolled down her cheek as she fought for composure.

He said nothing. The man simply looked at her with empty eyes, emotionless and Wendy was forced to take that as confirmation. It took every ounce of willpower to contain her grief and refocus. "You won't touch my children."

"They're my children too," he countered weakly.

"No!" she spat. "You lost all right to them the moment you promised to give them to that man!"

"I have no choice!" There was an edge of frustration in his voice now.

"There is always a choice, Dugal!" An edge of hysteria colored her words as she pleaded with him. "Please!"

"You don't understand."

"YOU don't understand!" she screamed. "If you touch Kichirou or Piper, I'll… I'll k-kill you."

Her voice broke and her threat became a sob but she stood her ground.

"Wendy," Dugal softened his voice and took a step towards her. His eyes met hers for the shortest of moments before Wendy forced herself to look away. She was certain his power was some type of eye magic and she couldn't chance being confused again.

"Stop!", she cried as he moved closer yet and she could feel her own control slipping. "Don't come closer!"

"You'll have to do it, Wendy. I can't defy my father." He was only ten feet from her now.

"S-Stop!" Tears were streaming down her cheeks now, blurring her vision as she pleaded with the man who she'd loved so completely just minutes before. The choked sobs were coming faster now, and she could hardly breathe.

He moved closer slowly, step by step, but it wasn't until his fingers were just inches away that she unleashed her power. She let out a Dragons Roar at point blank range; the force blowing Dugal back nearly 50 yards before his body hit a tree and crumbled to the ground.

Wendy didn't dare look to see if he was ok. The older man, Dugal's father, could be anywhere and she needed to get to the children before he did. The moment her lover hit the ground, the Dragon Slayer turned and ran back towards their home as fast as her legs would carry her.

Carla was waiting at the front door when Wendy broke through the tree line heading towards her. She'd heard Wendy's roar for the first time in years and it had scared her to death. She knew instantly that something was wrong and seeing Wendy's tear-streaked face and hearing her sobs as she ran, only confirmed it.

"What happened?!" The Exceed in human form asked her as soon as she was in earshot.

"Carla, get the children! We have to leave!"

"Leave?! What are you talking about, Wendy?!" As Wendy tried to rush past, Carla grabbed her friends arm and spun her around to look her in the eye. "What is happening?!"

"It was a lie! Everything was a lie! The children are in danger! Magic… Dugal has magic, and he used it to manipulate us. They're going to take the children! We have to go!"

Once Carla had knowledge of the spell that'd been place on her, the facade shattered for her as it had Wendy. Instantly she understood what had happened and the sense of guilt and anger nearly overwhelmed her. It was only Wendy dragging her down the hall towards the children that forced her to prioritize her emotions.

Carla watched her lifelong partner shake with silent sobs as she fought to secure a wrap around her body so she could wear little Piper on her back as they traveled. Once the little girl was snug and falling back asleep cuddled tightly to her mother, Wendy scooped up her son into her arms. It felt like if she wasn't touching her children; they would disappear just like everything else around her. With that horrifying thought, the women fled the house.

* * *

With Carla's help and a large amount of transportation, they managed to get the children back to Magnolia in less than a week. Aside from trying to occupy the children, Wendy and Carla hardly spoke. Aside from Wendy's terrible motion sickness, both women felt a terrible sense of shame and responsibility and that neither knew how to make it better. What had begun as a journey to see more of the world had turned into the biggest mistake of their lives. Not only that, but she had brought two innocent children into this world who'd done nothing to deserve the life that her poor decisions had handed to them.

Finally, nearly five years after Wendy had left her Fairy Tail family, the Sky Dragon Slayer made her way back to the guild. With a heavy heart, a baby on her back and a child in her arms, she reached the front gates of the guild and a second later the door to the building slammed open. Natsu and Gajeel were there. They must have had smelt her coming. Their eyes flashed from her to Carla to the two sleeping children she held before Natsu whispered her name, "Wendy?"

Just hearing his voice after all this time was the straw that broke the camel's back. All the pain and hurt she'd kept at bay crashed down on her and his name came out as a sob. "Natsu!"

Her knees buckled, but he flew across the yard caught her and the kids before she could fall. As her consciousness faded, she saw his worried eyes look her over and heard him ask, "What happened?!" Then everything went black.

When Wendy woke up, she couldn't remember where she was or how she'd gotten there but everything felt off. There was a moment of confused panic before she realized that both Piper and Kichirou were asleep beside her on the large bed. The room she was in smelled familiar and the Sky Dragon Slayer realized she'd gotten home. This was definitely Fairy Tail.

Just as fresh tears were filling in her eyes, a familiar voice spoke from beside her. "Welcome home, Wendy."

Turning her head slowly, Wendy looked up to see Erza at her bedside. Over the last five years, she had changed little but something in her expression gave off the air of maturity which was something Wendy definitely felt that she was lacking. Looking into that familiar face made her feel like a little kid again yet she didn't mind. Right now, a big sister was exactly what she needed. To her surprise, Wendy did not see Carla anywhere.

"I'm home," she answered softly, letting the tears fall freely down her cheeks.

There weren't any words to make the situation better so instead Erza just reached out and pulled Wendy into a tight embrace. The younger woman clung to her tightly, hoping beyond hope that somehow things would be okay now but she knew it couldn't be that easy. The women stayed in that protective embrace until Wendy felt the children stirring beside her. Looking to the window, she could see that the sun was setting and knew that they would be hungry soon.

As if reading her mind, Erza spoke gently. "Mirajane is making dinner for you and your son and Lucy went to the store to get formula for your daughter."

"T-Thank you."

"So, are you going to introduce me?" the scarlet-haired woman asked, pushing Wendy's bangs away from her eyes then gesturing to the little ones who were now looking up at their mother with wide eyes.

Looking at the innocent faces of her children was the one thing that made Wendy feel truly centered. For the first time since re-entering Fairy Tail, Wendy smiled. Reaching out, the blue-haired woman swept up her little man setting him down in her lap with a few sound effects to make him laugh. Then she picked up her daughter and turned to face Erza properly.

"This is my son, Kichirou," she said, kissing him gently on the top of his head before directing her words to him. "This is Miss Erza. Can you tell her how old you are?"

"I'm two!" he practically shouted, shoving his two fingers in the air just a few inches from her face. To Wendy's surprise, Erza laughed easily and replied directly to him.

"Two?! You're so big! My son Dillon will be home in a few days. He is five years old, so I hope you become good friends, ok?"

"Ok!" he practically squealed in delight. He'd never had many playmates so hearing that he'd have friends to play with was huge in his little mind.

Once that introduction was done, she turned back to Wendy and smiled again. "And who is this little angel in your arms?"

"This is Piper. She's six months old. Would you like to hold her?"

With a huge smile and the practiced hands of a mother, Erza took Piper into her arms and looked down at the blue-haired little girl who gazed up at her with the exact same brilliant blue eyes as her brother. These children had the eyes of their father but judging from the pale, pained expression on Wendy's face, that was not a topic they'd be talking about tonight.

"They're beautiful, Wendy," Erza finally said with a sigh as she watched the young mother fuss over how dirty her sons only outfit was.

It was crystal clear to everyone that Wendy had come home with Carla and her family with only the clothes on their backs. The only thing that Carla had been willing to tell their friends was that Wendy's lover had put them under some sort of spell or illusion this entire time and that spell had only broken when the man in question had threatened to take the children. Other than that, she told their guildmates that Wendy would have to fill in the remaining details. Although everyone was dying to know what had happened and nearly every single one of them would have dropped everything to get revenge on the man in question, it was clear that Wendy needed her family now more than ever.

Over the next few days, Gildarts gave Wendy and her children an apartment at the guild. Although unspoken, everyone knew that he was keeping her nearby just in case they needed protection. With all the children born in the guild over the last nearly ten years, Wendy was given practically an entire wardrobe of clothing for each of her children and thanks to Levy, she had enough clothes to make a new start as well. Because her children were so young and because of the circumstances of her ex, Wendy was unable to work many jobs, yet somehow there were always enough small jobs that allowed her to make ends meet.

It took the Sky Dragon Slayer nearly a week before she felt settled and clear-headed enough to explain to her friends what had happened. The problem was that her feelings were still all over the place. She'd been madly in love with Dugal. Regardless of any spell or illusion, she'd truly loved him. As for why she never contacted her friends, she couldn't answer that. It became clear as she tried to explain that things had been off from the very start.

At first her friends felt emotions closer to confusion or even pain that Wendy had disappeared for so long without a word but, as the story unraveled, that pain turned into serious anger. If not for the large number of children in the room when the story was being told, the conversation would have had a much darker tone.

As Wendy spoke, Cana watched silently from the bar while her daughter, Shayla, along with Mari Redfox and Carnation Strauss played nearby. There was a sad look on the Card Magic users' face as she listened intently to Wendy's story while drinking even heavier than usual. Even Gildarts side-glanced her a time or two during the story feeling certain he knew what she was thinking.

"I just feel so stupid. I should have realized that something was wrong," Wendy said in frustration as she wrapped up her story. Pulling Piper closer to her chest, she leaned her head on Lucy's shoulder with a heavy sigh. "I know I loved him but still…"

"Oh Wendy," Lucy breathed, wrapping her arms around her slight shoulders. "Don't blame yourself. None of us go looking for faults in the person we fall in love with. You did nothing wrong."

"And you're home now," Erza added, giving Carla a hug while smiling across the table to the youngest Team Natsu member. "That is what matters."

"Thank you," Wendy said, trying her best to return the smile.

Natsu had been holding Kichirou in his lap the whole time, making little flames to delight the toddler while the adults spoke but once he'd heard enough, he passed the little boy to Levy who sat across the table and jumped out of his seat. His expression was grim as he announced loudly, "Hey, Gray. I think it's time that we visit Bellum. What about you?"

"Yeah. I've been needing a vacation," the Ice Devil Slayer said darkly climbing to his feet as well, his eyes looking dangerous. The men clearly wanted revenge.

It was ultimately Gildarts who stopped them when he saw the pained expression cross Wendy's face. "Stop!" Their guild master spoke up for the first time that night, putting one hand on each of the men's shoulders to hold them in place. "It's not the time for that. Right now, we need to focus on helping Wendy remake her home here in Magnolia, right?"

For a moment both men looked like they might argue but it was Wendy who spoke out next in a shaky voice before the situation could escalate. "Natsu, Gray… Thank you but it's okay… rather, it will be okay so… please don't. … Your families need you here."

After everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks, her entire life was upside down. The very last thing she wanted was to see her friends leaving their own families behind to go fight a battle that wasn't theirs. No matter what had happened, Wendy took full responsibility for it and she would not let anyone else suffer for her mistakes. She'd already hurt her own children in a way they couldn't even begin to understand. That was something she didn't think she'd ever forgive herself for. No one else need to get involved.

Wendy's words, her entire aura as she spoke made everyone, especially Gray and Natsu, even more upset, but looking into the face of their friend, they knew that she was right. With a frustrated sigh, Gray sat back down on the bench next to Juvia looking sour but nodded his understanding.

Natsu, on the other hand, let out a frustrated growl while nodding sharply. "You and Kichirou and Piper are our family too, Wendy! But fine, I won't go but that guy won't get away with this!" Having made his declaration, Natsu kicked a nearby barrel as hard as he could. In an instant, the barrel smashed through a window and was out of sight before the Dragon Slayer turned and stalked grumpily out the front door.

"Natsu!" Lucy called after him, but he didn't stop. With an apologetic smile and one last quick hug to Wendy and Piper, Lucy jumped up from the table and followed quickly after her husband. "Natsu, wait!"

When Wendy finished answering her friends' questions, she felt the weight lift from her shoulders. Being home in Fairy Tail once again and having the support of all of her friends reminded her of just how blessed she was. She was well aware that bad things had happened and, yes; she had made mistakes but no one here was judging her. No one was blaming her. Every single one of her friends had stepped up and helped her as she struggled to put her life back together. It was then that Wendy realized everything really would be ok. She just needed to have faith and work hard to give her children the future that they deserved. With the help of her friends and family at Fairy Tail, it reminded her that she could do anything. That's what Fairy Tail was all about.

Later that night, Wendy checked in on her sleeping children before leaving them in Erza's care. When she'd finally been able to properly explain what had happened over the last five years, Wendy noticed that Cana hadn't said a word. In fact, her close friend wouldn't even meet her eyes and Wendy knew that her friend felt responsible.

As expected, Wendy found Cana at the bar, drinking heavily. She'd heard something about Shayla spending the night over with Elfman and Evergreen so this was the only place she figured that the dark-haired beauty would be. Normally Cana was social and full of smiles but tonight she looked sad and drank facing the wall. She'd picked the seat as far away from the others as possible. "You shouldn't drink alone," Wendy whispered, sitting down beside her friend.

Cana jumped when she heard Wendy's voice. She'd been so deep in thought she hadn't even heard Wendy approach. "I don't really think I'll be good company tonight, Wendy. You should go hang out with them. They all missed you terribly," her voice had a sad tinge to it as she gestured towards the group of Gajeel, Levy, Jet, Droy and Laxus sitting across the room.

"I'll go see them in a minute," Wendy promised, scooting her chair closer and leaning in to get a better look at Cana's face. "But I wanted to talk to you first."

Cana's face clouded over and she knew her old friend was about to run so, before she could, Wendy threw her arms around Cana's neck and held her tightly. "Please don't look so sad! None of this is your fault, Cana!" As she spoke, a sob tore from her throat and tears were rolling down her face. She felt Cana try to move away but Wendy didn't let go. She clung to her friend for dear life and she repeated herself. "None of this is your fault. Please don't blame yourself."

At first Cana's body tensed up but after a moment her guard fell. Cana threw her arms around Wendy's waist and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Wendy," she whispered into the Dragon Slayers blue hair, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

The women cried together for a long time. Everyone else in the hall was trying not stare, but it was hard not to react to such a touching scene. Cana had hardly said anything since Wendy and her family had returned. Even her friends had started to worry about how much she was drinking but now that she had opened up, everyone felt a serious sense of relief.

"It's not your fault. It's not…" Wendy repeated the words over and over until she was sure that Cana understood. When the embrace ended, both women managed real smiles. "I've missed you, Cana."

"I've missed you too." The just looked at each other for a long time before Cana grinned and took another swig from her bottle, adding. "Your children are adorable."

The compliment from Cana was enough to cause her to blush as she nodded her agreement, "Thanks."


	5. Chapter 5

The Future Is Ours

Chapter 5

By: juvia0613 (aka FayeValentine00)

* * *

_Happy and Carla_

The night that Wendy, Carla, Kichirou and Piper showed up, Happy had been right behind Natsu when his partner had thrown open the door. The first thing that Happy saw was an exhausted Carla, then his eyes fell onto Wendy who held two small kids. When Wendy collapsed, Natsu had caught Wendy and almost immediately Gajeel took the baby while Happy caught the boy.

"Carla?!" Happy was so delighted to see her that his eyes filled up with tears but even he could see that now was not the time to talk.

Everyone in the room went into an uproar. People were shouting things from every direction. Lucy and Erza ran over to take the kids while Natsu easily carried Wendy's small frame in his arms.

Everyone was nearby trying to help, but it was Mirajane who said what everyone was thinking. "I think these children are Wendy's!"

"What the hell is going on!?" Cana asked, putting down her bottle to help Natsu lay Wendy on a bench.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked softly. She hugged the baby girl to her chest while peering over her husband's shoulder at their old friend who had grown up way too much in these last five years.

Happy noticed that while everyone was looking over Wendy and her children, Carla had collapsed onto a bench nearby. She looked so tired and upset it broke Happy's heart. It washed away any amount of hurt he'd felt when the two had disappeared five years ago the moment he saw the state of his friends. Maybe Happy didn't always understand difficult situations, but he knew that this was bad.

Moving quietly, Happy sat down next to Carla and placed his paw on her shoulder. "Are you ok, Carla?"

Her response was immediate. "H-Happyyyyyyyyy," she wailed pathetically and buried her head into his fur. "I-I failed Wendy!"

Happy, wrapped his arms around her while she bawled her eyes out. Not knowing what to say, he just waited patiently for her to finish. When she finally wiped her eyes, Carla looked up into the face of the person that she'd missed the most.

"Carla… where have you been?" he finally asked.

"Bellum," she answered softly, but it was Levy who overhead and responded.

"Bellum?!" the bluenette looked shocked, and she turned to Natsu and Gajeel. "No wonder you could never find their scents. They were across the continent!"

"But what were you doing in Bellum?" Lucy asked, full of concern.

"Are these really Wendy's kids?" Erza added.

"Who's their father?" Evergreen asked.

"STOP IT!" Happy had jumped up from his seat and stood in front of Carla with his arms out, shielding her. "Can't you see how upset Carla is?!"

"H-Happy…" Carla felt so relieved to see that Happy had not changed at all and for the first time in years she felt like she was home.

While Wendy was recovering and trying to make a new place for herself in Fairy Tail, Carla found herself spending more and more time with Happy. Once Natsu and Lucy had gotten married and had kids of their own, Happy had moved into his own little apartment in their place to stay out of the way. Although Natsu and Happy would always be partners, the latter knew enough to stay out of the way of the married people stuff. Since Carla had lived much the same way when they were in that lake house in Bellum, she understood.

Happy became the one person she could explain everything too. Although she was sure he'd tell Natsu everything he'd heard, it didn't matter as long as she didn't have to relay it personally. Happy was the only one who heard her out when she explained how easily they had fallen into Dugal's trap. She blamed herself for not being able to see through the illusion, and although Happy had told her repeatedly that she'd brought Wendy and the kids home safely, Carla still had trouble with guilt.

It was only as few short weeks after returning home that Happy brought Carla an enormous fish and when she turned to thank him; he kissed her. Then, before she could react, he flew off in embarrassment. It took a few minutes for Carla to gather her thoughts before she was able to chase after him.

It was common knowledge that they'd liked each other before Carla left with Wendy left but now that the ladies had returned, Carla had truly started to love Happy. When she finally tracked him down, instead of saying anything, she simply grabbed him and kissed him right back. From that point on, other than missions with their partners, the two were practically inseparable.

* * *

_Mest Gryder and Wendy Marvell_

For the first year after Wendy, Kichirou, Piper and Carla returned to the guild, things were a whirlwind. With no father around, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel and even Laxus had taken it upon themselves to be stand-in dads to her children and, if it was possible, it made her love those men even more. Sometimes it was just piggyback rides and roughhousing. Other times it was reading a book or having her kids over for the night to play with their own children. They were all amazing and before Wendy knew it, Kichirou was obsessed with Laxus. He followed that poor man around everywhere but with two sons of his own, Laxus easily added Kichirou into his brood regularly.

It was early in x804, when Carla was away with Happy for a few days. Wendy had just finished dressing Piper for the day when Kichirou walked into the room with tears in his little eyes. He walked right up to his mother and when she bent down to check on him, the little boy threw his hands around her neck. Her son was a tough kid who hardly ever cried or threw a fit. He always tried to act like one of the older kids, so this rare display made her own eyes wells with tears before he'd even said a work.

"Where is my dad?" he asked softly, in a pitiful little voice full of sadness.

Wendy's heart broke into a million pieces at his words but she knew that she had to be strong and give her son an answer. Kichirou deserved that much. With a shaky breath, Wendy hugged his little shoulders tightly. "Oh honey," she began, just barely able to keep it together. "Your Dad just couldn't stay with us anymore."

"I heard Uncle Natsu tell Aunt Lucy that he was a bad guy," he sniffed, big fat tears formed in his eyes. "Is Daddy bad?"

Wendy didn't know how to answer him and stared into her son's face with no words. She did not want to lie to the child. She was at a total loss. Just when she thought a voice from the doorway saved her.

"Don't worry, Kid," Gajeel said. "Your Mom wouldn't have been with a bad guy, right?"

Wendy looked up just as Gajeel picked Kichirou up, tossing him up high in the sky making the little boy laugh and totally distracting him at the same time. Still barely containing her tears, Wendy met the Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes looking confused, but he quickly answered her.

"I knocked on the door and no one answered so I figured I would check in on you. Levy asked me to come over to pick up the kids so you guys could go out."

"Oh! Right! I forgot!" Wendy said shaking her head quickly. "Thank you!"

Gajeel continued to toss her son up, making him laugh hysterically. Kichirou's tears were already long forgotten but Wendy's own heart was still in tatters. Seeing his "little sister" about to break, Gajeel took his free hand and pushed Wendy towards the door. "Go see Levy. I'll bring the kids to my place in a few minutes."

She knew he was trying to help and since she didn't trust her voice; she kissed her kids quickly, nodded and practically ran from the room. As soon as she was outside, she was greeted with bright sunshine, clear skies and a gentle breeze. The weather was perfect, yet she couldn't appreciate it. For the first time she envied Juvia. What she wouldn't give for weather to match her mood just then. Somehow the beautiful day just made the pain in her heart more pronounced.

She walked down the road a little way towards Gajeel and Levy's place before she couldn't do it anymore. She ducked into a group of trees off the main road and squatted down, wrapping her arms around her legs. Only then did Wendy let the tears fall freely. She'd known a day would come when her children would ask about their father, yet she hadn't been prepared. She didn't know how to answer. There was no way to tell a three-year-old what had happened, and she clearly was not going to tell her son that his father was a bad man. It was just complicated.

She heard footsteps behind her and tried in vain to wipe her tears away. But for every tear she wiped away, two fell in its place. Since returning to Fairy Tail, Wendy thought she'd pulled herself together and now it felt like she was taking a huge step back. In many ways the Dragon Slayer still felt like she was living inside of an illusion but this time it wasn't the pretty one that had been painted for her. This was the illusion that Wendy knew what she was doing with her life.

"Are you okay?"

The voice behind her was familiar but completely unexpected. In fact, that voice belonged to someone she hadn't had the opportunity to speak with much since returning home. It was also someone whom she had known for years and surprisingly she wasn't horrified to be found by him.

"Y-yeah." Wendy answered weakly, looking up at Mest with a tear-stained face. "I'll be fine," she added with a sniff, rubbing her eyes with the sleeves of her top.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mest squatted down in front of Wendy with a concerned expression.

She let out a heavy sigh and before she even knew what she was doing, Wendy unloaded all of her worries at this poor man who had gotten so much more than he was expecting. She quickly explained what had happened. "… and then Gajeel came in and smoothed it over but I was at a total loss. I feel like such a terrible mother. All I wanted was to make my kids happy and… and I just screwed everything up."

Wendy's big brown eyes were still full of tears as she spoke and Mest watched her carefully, not knowing exactly what to say. He had known Wendy for many years. He had seen her go through things that most people could never dream of, yet this was the first time he had really seen her completely breakdown. Not having any words, He just reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I have tried so hard to be strong and show everyone I'm okay… that we're all ok but I'm- I'm so afraid that Kichirou and Piper will grow up to hate me. I- I really was such an idiot!" A sob tore from Wendy loudly and she finally dropped her face onto her knees and wept anew.

Not knowing what else to do, Mest pulled Wendy into an embrace and stroked her head gently. He felt her lean into him as her tears soaked his shirt, but he didn't pull away. If something this small could be a comfort to his friend, then he would have sat there with Wendy the entire day.

Once she was calmer, Mest spoke softly into her hair. "Your kids aren't going to hate you. You're a fantastic mother and they know that. Not a single person will ever blame you for what happened. You did absolutely nothing wrong."

After a few more minutes, Mest felt her relax in his arms and she let out a heavy sigh. "Thank you."

Finally, Wendy sat up, wiping her eyes a final time and forcing the best smile she could manage. That was the first moment that Mest truly saw Wendy as a woman and not the little girl he had known all those years ago. Almost unconsciously, he reached out and touched her cheek gently. "Wendy, Don't push yourself so hard." Wendy's eyes got bigger and her cheeks turned a little pink, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she just nodded slightly, and Mest continued to speak softly. "And if you ever need someone to talk to or you ever feel like you do today, you can always come to me. I'm here for you."

Wendy gazed into the kind eyes of the man who'd saved her life on more than one occasion. The blue-haired woman had never seen Mest as anything other than a good friend yet now she was seeing him in a new light. That was the first time she realized how attractive he was. Maybe it was just his kind words and perhaps she was just having a moment of weakness but somehow, this moment, whatever it was, felt really nice.

That feeling helped her collect herself and as they stood up together, Wendy grinned. "Thank you. I will remember that," she managed, her cheeks still flushed from the new thoughts and revelations swirling in her head.

"Wendy!" The girl in question heard Levy come from just beyond the trees she'd concealed herself. She was about to call when the elder girl walked into view and stopped dead in her tracks. Realizing the atmosphere she'd walked into, Levy made some quick excuses. "Umm, Gajeel got home and said that you had left first but never came over so I came looking for you," Looking back and forth between the couple, a smirk spread across the woman's face.

Wendy opened her mouth to greet her friend or make an excuse or something… anything, but she instead her face flushed even deeper. It felt like she and Mest had been caught red-handed yet they hadn't been doing anything wrong. They hadn't been doing anything at all, had they?

"So… I'm just going to head back home and help Gajeel with the kids. Come by when you're done here." With a knowing wink to the couple, Levy turned around and left before either of them could say a word. In her wake, there was an awkward silence.

After a few moments, Wendy turned back to Mest apologetically. "Sorry about that. Umm… Levy likes to jump to conclusions," she laughed slightly, but when she noticed that Mest hadn't laughed with her, the sound petered out.

Both Mest and Wendy stood staring at each other in silent anticipation. Pulses racing, finding themselves in the most unexpected of situations. Finally, Mest took a deep breath and blurted out his words quickly before he could lose his nerve. "Would you like to have dinner sometime?"

Without even thinking about it, Wendy nodded in agreement. With another smile, as she answered softly, "Yes. I'd like that."

Over the next several weeks, Mest and Wendy met frequently for dinner or drinks and once they even did a job together. They were not officially dating, but they were enjoying each other's company. It felt good that Wendy had someone she could confide in outside of her core family circle. However, before it possibly turned into more, it was important to see how Mest related to her children.

About a month after the day they'd reunited in the woods, Wendy brought Mest home to spend some time with the kids. Piper was easy. She loved anyone who played with her. Mest easily won her over by sitting on the floor with her, pounding out songs badly on her little keyboard. The two laughed easily together, and it was heartwarming to see how gentle Mest was with her. Kichirou seemed like he might be a harder sell seeing as Mest's magic wasn't as straightforward cool as his "uncles" Natsu, Gajeel, Gray and Laxus yet once Mest teleported the little man all over the room in a matter of moments, her son was smitten.

By bedtime, he'd exhausted both children and Mest waited patiently while Wendy got them to sleep. Once they were out, the Sky Dragon Slayer joined him on the couch and smiled brightly. "I think you were a hit. The kids adore you."

"And what do you think of me?" Despite his innocent expression, Mest's words quickly turned the room serious.

Wendy's heart pounded in her chest. She already knew the answer to this question. She'd figured it out after their first few dates but she didn't know if she had the nerve to say those words out loud. Deep down she already knew that he loved her. It was crystal clear in everything he did and said and in return, she'd fallen in love with him as well.

This time around she knew that this love was real and organic, yet she was afraid. She didn't feel like she deserved this kind of happiness. Was she allowed to have a second chance? She searched his eyes for a long time before she took a deep breath and spoke from her heart.

"I think I'm in love with you." As soon as the words escaped Wendy's lips, she gasped. She'd only meant to say something along the lines of liking him or wanting to know him better. Instead, she had just confessed openly! "I mean, ummm-"

Wendy noticed that Mest had begun to blush too as he reached out and took her hands in his. "Wendy…" he began, meeting her eyes. "Will you marry me?"

"Wait… what?!" Her mind was spinning. It didn't feel real. "Are you serious?! You- You've never even asked me out!"

"Does it matter?" Despite her complete shock, Wendy could tell that Mest was completely serious. "I love you, Wendy. I want to make you happy."

"But, Kichirou and Piper and…" In a near panic, words were just tumbling out of mouth. It wasn't that she was unhappy, but it seemed too implausible.

"I love your kids. I want to be their father. I want to help you. Wendy, you all deserve to be happy. I want to make you all happy."

All the fight went out of Wendy. More than anything, she wanted her family to be happy; she wanted to be happy, and she wanted to make Mest happy. She knew all of it and now that he'd touched on each of her fears, there seemed to be no good reason to turn him down. It took a minute to pull herself together but finally Wendy smiled and nodded. "I would love to marry you."

In x805, Mest married Wendy, Kichirou and Piper in front of the entire guild. Everyone was happy for the family unit and not long after, Mest adopted Wendy's children. Kichirou and Piper took the last name of Gryder and their lives became one of peaceful happiness.

* * *

**End Part I**

_Part II picks up in x814_


	6. Chapter 6

The Future Is Ours

By: juvia0613 (aka FayeValentine00)

Part II

Chapter 6

* * *

_Ryuu Redfox, Mari Redfox, Bluebell Strauss and Nathan Dreyar - Fall of x813_

"Ryuu! What are you doing?!" Mari shouted, jumping over her twin brother who'd just been knocked to the ground at her feet. With a flourish, Mari pulled out five of her cards and threw them at the nearest of their attackers, "Sun's Strength!" Her loud shout filled the air and, in a flash, those cards burst into flame mid-flight before exploding on impact against her targets.

The job they'd taken had been simple at face value. They were supposed to go help a church outside of Magnolia with a rodent problem, but they hadn't expected the scores of oversized gophers that had come for them from every direction the moment they'd arrived. What they'd hoped would be more like a vacation was panning out a lot different.

"Nice one, Mari," Bluebell called from across the field with a challenging grin. "But I've got you beat!"

With those words, the white-haired girl took flight and shouted out her attack loudly, "Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun" before hundreds of energy needles fired at their targets dropping one after another before their eyes.

"Animal Soul: Rhino," They heard Nathan call out from nearby and a second later, his Rhino take-over form was plowing through yet another line of those damn never-ending gophers. "And stay down!," he added when all of the targets around him were out of commission.

"Alright, now I'm over it!" Ryuu finally added, climbing to his feet looking sour. He walked in front of the rest of his group and taking a deep breath shouted, "Iron Dragon's Roar!"

And with that, the fight was over, and all the gophers were unconscious or had run away. Either way, they had earned their reward and as the smoke cleared, the four friends regrouped.

Ryuu was the first one to speak up. "Is everyone okay?" His brown eyes were full of concern as he looked everyone over, running his hand roughly through his blue hair. He was the eldest person in the new generation of Fairy Tail and, as such, he was very protective of those around him. At 19 years old, Ryuu was tall. In fact, the only person taller than him was his best friend, Nathan. He was strong and built similar to his father, Gajeel, yet he had the softer features of his mother, Levy. He wore his black guild mark on his left shoulder and had two stud piercing in each ear. Ryuu's greatest pride was being a second-generation Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Yeah, Mom. We're fine." That sarcastic voice belonged to Mari, Ryuu's younger twin sister. She flashed him a smirk, her eyes dancing with evil amusement. Although her words seemed unkind, the two were actually extremely close. They were each other's greatest allies and confidants. Like her elder brother, Mari had blue wavy hair, brown eyes, and she was only about a head shorter than him. However, that is where the similarities ended. For all that Ryuu had inherited their father's size, Mari had inherited his menacing aura when angry. The only person both Ryuu and Nathan feared was Mari Redfox when she was angry.

Mari had an hourglass figure. Her waist was tiny, but she had breasts and hips in abundance. Cana was her mentor, so she tended to dress in a similar style. However, Mari always wore something orange in honor of her mother. That day she wore flared pants and an orange triangle bikini top. Mari's guild mark was also orange and located on her right shoulder. Her cards were, as always, kept safely in a leather pouch tied around her right thigh. Mari had stud earrings all the way up her ears on both sides and wore iron bracelets, armlets and a choker at all times in honor of her father and brother. She was a firm believer that sex appeal was just powerful as her card magic but despite her good looks; she preferred to be more of a tomboy. She loved a good fight, playing rough and getting dirty.

Nathan came up behind Mari and wrapped his arms over her shoulders laughing easily. "Come on now," he said, hugging her tightly. "Be nice to Ryuu. He's the only one that got knocked on his ass today."

Although he was the youngest of their group at 17, Nathan was the tallest and most imposing. He looked a lot like his father, Laxus. The Animal Soul Take Over Magic user had his father's blonde hair but his eyes were purple like his mother, Lisanna. Like Laxus, Nathan had a very assertive personality, and he had a tendency towards overconfidence. Thankfully, he had his friends to keep him in line most of the time.

"Don't be a dick, Nathan," Bluebell said, shooting him a disapproving glare before turning to Ryuu with a big smile and wrapping her arms around his waist. "At least we got that over quickly, right?"

Bluebell was the smallest of the group by far. She had her father, Elfman's, coloring, but she had the build of her Aunt Lisanna. She had large bright blue eyes and her white hair flowed long like her mother, Evergreen's, all except for her bangs which were braided from her left temple, across her head and down along her right side. Bluebell tied the braid off at the bottom with a bluebell shaped hair clip. She nearly always wore something blue and today it was a short sun dress that tied around her neck and left her entire back open, closing again just above her butt, displaying her blue guild mark in the middle of her lower back. Her knee-high boots were white with blue accents to match her dress. Due to the nature of her magic, Bluebell always wore blue framed glasses to prevent using her stone eyes powers by accident. Her frame was small, and she wasn't nearly as curvy as most of the other girls which gave her a more fairy-like quality.

Also, 19 years old like Ryuu and Akemi, Bluebell was one of the eldest in the new generation of fairy Tail members and the eldest of her four siblings. Because of that, like Ryuu, she had an especially protective personality. So, despite her small stature, she was willing to go toe to toe with anyone who treated her loved ones poorly,

Ryuu gave the diminutive girl a big hug and a smile before turning to his best friend with a grin. "I'd be happy to knock you on your ass anytime."

"Bring it on!"

Both men were grinning widely, ready to go all over again until the girls stepped into stop them.

* * *

_Shayla Groh, Carnation Strauss and Akemi Redfox - Summer of x813_

"Ohhhhh yeahhhhhh!" Akemi finished her song and was greeted with cheers from all of her friends in the guild bar. With a big smile, she stood up, took a bow and then jumped down from the stage to rejoin her friends.

Akemi, a 16-year-old Solid Script mage, was the youngest child of Gajeel and Levy. Although she was tiny like her mother, she had the black hair and red eyes of her father. Despite being the shortest of all the kids, she wore flat shoes which only increased the height difference. Like her mother, she was severely lacking in the curves department. Her theory was that her sister Mari had taken all the curve genetics, leaving her with the physique of an ironing board. Despite her lack of curves, Akemi was actually beautiful. Her most distinguishing feature was her long eyelashes.

She wore black Capri pants and a slim fitting t-shirt under a long jacket. In each ear, she had three stud piercing connected by a little chain and an industrial piercing. Singing, like she had done just moments before, was her passion. She loved to go out drinking with her girlfriends and performing for anyone who would listen. Everyone in Fairy Tail was happy to report that she was a much better singer than her father.

"HAHAHAHA! Good job, kid!" Shayla said loudly as Akemi made her way back to their seats. Her large smile shone brightly through the room and she sat lounged across the bench, one leg tucked under her.

Shayla, a Crush magic mage, was the only child of Bacchus Groh from Quatro Cerberus and Cana. At 18 years old, she was a great mix of both of her parents. She wore her brown hair in a shaggy pixie cut and her red eyes made her already intimidating aura even more impressive. She was a little taller and stronger than her mother yet she definitely had her free spirit personality. She had broad shoulders and hips so she mostly wore long pants, a tube top, combat style boots and a bolero jacket in honor of her father. Although she maintained a great relationship with her parents, Cana's biggest inspiration was her grandfather, Gildarts. He'd taught her everything she knew and, with every decision she made in life, she aimed to make him proud.

"Thanks!" Akemi replied brightly, clinking glasses with the elder girl.

"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Carnation Strauss stood up and clinked her glass happy with the others.

"Ah Honey, no one could forget about you," Shayla said suggestively before reaching over and pulling the smaller girl towards her. Not giving a single care to who was watching, Shayla kissed Carnation openly. "Happy now?"

"Yeah," she managed to reply a little dreamily with a slight blush.

Carnation, a Sky Dragon Slayer, was the second daughter of Elfman and Evergreen. At 17 years old, she was a beautiful girl. She had long light brown hair like her mother that she wore in a long ponytail over her left shoulder and fastened with a carnation hair clip. She had big blue eyes and was the epitome of a girlie girl. She was hardly ever seen without makeup and her hair was always perfect. Like that night, Carnation was nearly always seen wearing a frilly mini skirt, thigh high leggings and cute heels. Her top was a green open backed mid-drift with strings tied that at her neck and back. Although her front was fully covered, the sides of her shirt were scandalous.

Like everyone in Fairy Tail, Carnation had a strong sense of family and she would do anything to protect her loved ones and the honor of her guild. That being said, she was more than happy to simply be a support player. She preferred not to get dirty and would avoid the more physical jobs as much as possible. That being said, the most important people in Carnation's life were her best friend, Akemi, Her girlfriend, Shayla, Her mentor, Wendy and Wendy's children, Piper and Kichirou. For those people, she would move mountains if it meant keeping them safe.

The three girls drank through the night, laughing, telling stories and just relaxing. As always, Shayla didn't get drunk. Her alcohol tolerance was that of legend just like her parents. Carnation was pretty tipsy but was holding her own. Akemi was the problem, per usual. The youngest of their trio had a strong habit of turning into a flirt when intoxicated and before they knew it, Shayla was stuck following Akemi around the room to prevent her from doing something stupid. It might have been an annoying habit if it wasn't so damn funny to watch.

It was almost midnight when help came. Gajeel came in just as Shayla was trying to pull Akemi off a very uncomfortable 14-year-old Aki Dragneel. She'd only sat in his lap to tell him how cool she thought his slayer magic was but the way everyone else in the bar was cheering and egging her on had made the situation seem even worse. With a heavy sigh, her father crossed the room and threw the tiny girl over his shoulder while shooting poor Aki a warning look. It was not the first time he'd dragged her out of the bar and it wouldn't be the last yet he didn't even bother reprimanding her. Of all his kids, Akemi was the one that had him wrapped tightly around her little finger.

When Gajeel crossed the room and made his way towards the door, Shayla and Carnation laughed openly. "Good night," they called happily with a wave.

As his daughters' partners in crime, he had trouble even getting mad at them. Instead of complaining he simply put his hand into the air to wave goodbye and left.

* * *

_Nashi Dragneel, Slate Fullbuster, Dillon Fernandes and Haruki Fullbuster - Christmas x813_

"Merry Christmas, Haruki!" Nashi called cheerfully as she entered her best friends home for their sleepover.

Since all their parents had the annual "Team Natsu Christmas Party" at the Dragneel house, Natsu and Lucy's daughter made it a point to go anywhere else that night. There was a rumor that Shayla and Carnation would join the parents this year as well which somehow seemed like an even more explosive mix than usual. The Christmas party never ended pretty, and the kids had learned quickly not to get involved.

Nashi Dragneel, the 16-year-old Celestial Spirit Mage, was almost a double of her mother. She had long blonde hair and big expressive brown eyes. She was outgoing and friendly like her mother but got a hot-headed streak from her father. She preferred to wear Qi Lolita style dresses with short skirts and plenty of frills and cleavage. She loved to wear thigh high boots as well. For her birthday that year, Lucy had given her the contracts for Leo, Aries, Gemini and Virgo and ever since she had been taking jobs nearly every day. Today was the first time the girls had hung out at home together in a long while.

"Merry Christmas, Nashi!" Haruki replied giving her best friend a big hug. Much like her mother, Haruki was a very clingy person to the people she cared about the most.

As the 15-year-old daughter of Gray and Juvia, the water mage was a very open person. She was also a very scantly clad person. As a little girl, Haruki had adopted her dad's stripping habit. When Gray had tried to explain that stripping was not ok for girls, the young girl had retorted that, as a water mage, training made her wet anyway so she might as well wear as little as possible. Somehow it worked and, by the time Haruki had mastered her magic, the damage was done. Now Gray was lucky if he could get his daughter into a pair of pants. Normally she ran around the country wearing only a bikini top and a pair of boy cut shorts sometimes covered by an open white jacket and a sheer cape skirt.

"I'm in the middle of making dinner," Haruki said, returning to the kitchen after their greeting. "Come and keep me company!"

The girls spent the next hour in the kitchen cooking and gossiping. It was only mildly surprising when, just as they were sitting down to each, Slate and Dillon walked in.

"Perfect timing!" Without even asking, Slate grabbed a plate and helped himself to part of their meal.

"At least say thank you!" Haruki shouted at her brother, smacking his arm half-heartedly.

Slate and Haruki Fullbuster were less than a year apart. 11.5 months apart, to be exact, and, because of that, they were extremely close. In fact, the entire Fullbuster family was extremely close. At 16 years old, Slate looked a lot like Gray. Although he was nearly always shirtless, the Ice-Make mage made it a point to keep his pants on along with a white coat similar to his dad and sister. Although he loved to harass his sister, Slate was incredibly protective of Haruki. If anyone even thought about looking at her the wrong way, he was there to scare them off.

"Thank you for the meal!" That was Dillon who, like Slate, had helped himself to a meal with a big smile on his face.

Dillon was the 15-year-old son of Jellal Fernandes of Crime Sorciere and Erza. He has the scarlet-colored hair of his mother and the blue eyes of his father. He was a svelte boy who preferred to wear long pants, a long sleeve form fitting top and a cloak. When he was alone, Dillon was introspective but when he was out with his friends, he opened up easily. As a Heavenly Body Magic mage, Dillon was extremely offensively powerful but what he had in offense, he lacked in defense. That was where his friends came in to back him up.

These four friends had been a team for as long as they could remember and even though the girls hadn't been planning on their company, neither of them was complaining. Everything was always more fun when they were together. That night the quartet had a little Christmas party of their own and mistletoe may or may not have been involved.

* * *

_Daisy Strauss and Aki Dragneel - Summer x813_

"Aki! Where are you going?" Lucy called loudly, watching her son and his best friend, Daisy run off into the woods outside the camp they'd set up. When he didn't answer, she sighed dramatically. It really was like dealing with Natsu all over again except this time she wasn't the one being dragged around. "Come back before it gets dark!"

"What are you so worried about, Lucy?" Natsu asked in his carefree manner, flashing his wife the bright smile that still made her heart flutter. "They'll be fine."

"I know…" she said with a smile, leaning her head on his chest. "I just have trouble letting go…"

Aki Dragneel, 14 years old, was a Fire Dragon Slayer like his father. He had Natsu's pink hair, black eyes and carefree attitude. He loved to be the center of attention and went out of his way to hang out with everyone. Despite the destruction that seemed to follow in his wake, all the Fairy Tail children viewed him like an additional little brother and quickly went out of their way to make excuses for his behavior.

Like the Fullbusters, the Dragneel family was very tight-knit. Aki and his sister Nashi were close but since recently she was off with Slate and Haruki all the time, Aki was left spending most of his free time with his parents and his best friend, Daisy. Like today, he was constantly dragging her around to explore new places and try new things, but she was always ready for it.

"Daisy! Check it out!" He called out, reaching under a rock and pulling out a lizard the size of his leg. It looked like the animal could easily bite his arm off, but Aki waved it around without a care in the world.

"Awesome! We should take it back to your parents for dinner!" she shouted back, laughing easily at his antics.

Daisy Strauss was the polar opposite of her big sister Carnation. 15-year-old Daisy was a disciple of her aunt Mirajane. As a Satan's Soul Take-Over mage, there was a dark side to her that she had always accepted. At just 9 years old, Daisy had run off to obtain her demon factor without telling everyone. When she returned, everyone was horrified. She had nearly been killed, but she was proud. The initial plan was to have Gray banish the demon within her but after days of protest, Mira agreed to teach the girl. Since then, she had practiced hard and never looked back.

Daisy was built like a younger version of her mother but, unlike her sisters, she was hotheaded and a bonafide badass. She could fight with the best of them, frequently picking fights with Shayla just for fun. She preferred clothing that was black or red, large chunky heeled boots and a short skirt over dark leggings that were usually torn up from her adventures with Aki. Like her sisters, she always wore open backed tops. Daisy had white hair that she wore in a ponytail with a daisy-shaped hair clip along with blue eyes that always shone like she was up to something. She was quick-witted and sassy making her and Aki quite the troublesome, yet amusing, duo.

"Good idea!" In a flash, Aki knocked out the beast and threw it over his shoulder. "Let's go!"

Without a second thought, the pink-haired boy turned around and headed back the way they'd just come from, leaving Daisy following after him but she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_Katsuo Strauss, Kichirou Gryder and Piper Gryder - Fall x813_

"Happy Birthday, Piper!" Mest, Wendy, Carnation, Kichirou and Katsuo all cheered happily as Wendy placed a large birthday cake in front of her now 12-year-old daughter.

"Thank you!" Her light blue eyes danced excitedly as she blew out the candles to her cake and made a secret wish.

Piper had been waiting for this day forever. Although not much of a fighter, she had been dying to do small jobs to make some money of her own but her mom had made her wait until she turned 12. Now that she had reached that milestone, she felt excited to try something other than helping Mirajane in the guild hall which she had been doing since she was 8.

Although she was one of the youngest kids in Fairy Tail, she was well loved. Between the older girls dressing her up like a doll to the older boys taking her out for ice cream, everyone enjoyed doting on her. From an early age, everyone sensed that Piper had an enormous amount of latent magical power. Because of that, her parents were extra protective of her. When it had become time to pick a magical focus, she had been free to try anything. For a while she considered slayer magic or make magic but every time she thought about it, she would think about how worried it would make her mother and she couldn't do it.

Instead Piper went a completely different route. She had always loved to draw, so she chose Pict Magic. When push came to shove, it could be offensive, but it wasn't the sort of magic that would openly bring her attention. Her specialties were creating birds of all shapes and sizes to do her attacks but, like most Pict Mages, she could create just about anything she set her mind to.

Her adoptive father, Mest Gryder, was her biggest fan. For all that Wendy tried to protect her daughter by keeping her safely at home as much as possible, her father was the one who could change her mind. If not for him, she wouldn't have nearly the freedom she had. However, because of that, Mest had made her promise to never go out of the guild alone. It seemed extreme but when she thought of her mother, she always did as she was told.

After cake, it was time for presents. From her parents, she received a whole new tool set complete with brushes, paints and an art book. It was perfect, and she looked up at everyone happily. "It's all perfect!"

"Mine next!" That was Piper's older brother, Kichirou. With a big smile he shoved a package into her hands. "This will come in really handy now that you can come on jobs with us!"

Excited, she tore into the package pulling out the cutest backpack she'd ever seen. It was shaped like a cat and was just big enough to hold her new tool set. Not knowing what to say, she threw her arms around her brother's neck and squeezed tightly. "Thank you so much!"

With a laugh, Kichirou returned his sister's hug. Like his sister, he had blue hair and bright blue eyes. At 13 years old, he was a lean, strong kid. Like his mentor and idol, Laxus, Kichirou was never without his long coat even in the middle of summer. Only a year before, his mother had explained everything about their real father in confidence and since that day he had felt more protective of his little sister than ever. As a Lightning Mage, he'd promised his parents to keep her safe no matter what, and that is what he would do. Because of that, it was agreed by all that Piper would join him and his best friend Katsuo on their team going forward.

"Alright. Time for our gift!" That was Katsuo Strauss. He was the youngest son of Elfman and Evergreen. He was also her brothers best friend and, like his sister Carnation, was an additional member of their family

At 13 years old, Katsuo and Kichirou had been inseparable for as long as Piper could remember. He, like his mentor Bickslow, practiced Human Possession Seith Magic and his babies were little floating robots which was really cool! He had the coloring of his mother and was a build a little bigger than her brother. He was the kind of kid that was always happy and didn't have a care in the world. As long as he was having fun on a job, he didn't really worry about danger at all.

Katsuo held out the bag to her with a smile. "Hopefully you'll like this. Carnation helped me pick it out."

Opening the bag, Piper found a silver metal headband that had a small white flowers across it. It was adorable. She quickly put it in her hair and turned to Carnation for her opinion. "What do you think?"

"It looks perfect!" The elder girl smiled at her happily, pulling a mirror out of her bag so Piper could see for herself.

"I love it! Thank you!" she said flashing a big smile to the Strauss siblings. "I'll wear it every day!"

After that day, Piper joined the boys on all of their missions. Per a promise to their parents, they never took jobs that were very difficult but it was a start. Very quickly all of their skills improved exponentially and before long everyone in the guild was talking about their future potential.

* * *

_Gabriel Dreyar and Gaius Conbolt - January x814_

Gaius Conbolt was the 7-year-old son of Romeo and Asuka. The boy had dark purple hair, black eyes and like the others in his family, he wore western style attire. He was never without his hat, vest, boots and the gun holster on his right hip.

Gaius was a spitfire. At any hour of the day, the boy was happy, hyper and ready for anything. Because most of the new generation were already teenagers when he was born, he always wished to be older. However, because he was so eager to learn, all the other kids would take turns bringing him along on small missions or training with him or even just playing around. He was definitely a child of the entire guild much like his father had been.

From an early age, Gaius had learned the magic of both his mother and her parents before her. He was a natural at Guns Magic and despite his young age; he was a fantastic shot. His goal was to be as good as his grandmother Bisca someday. Only a year ago, she and his mother, Asuka, had begun to teach him Requip Magic: the Gunner. At first it was hard but now that he was learning, the boy was pulling guns out of the blue as often as his magical powers allowed him.

On that particular day in the middle of winter, it was snowing so Gaius was stuck inside. Although he had tried really hard to be patient, he quickly began to pace like a caged animal. He was bored out of his mind. His parents were off on a job and everyone else was either doing the same or they were deep in conversation and too busy to pay him any attention. It was like torture to the young boy. Just when he thought he was really going to lose it, he spotted Gabriel sitting off in the far corner of the hall, his face stuck in a book like usual.

In a flash, the boy crossed the room. Looking over the older boy's shoulder, he asked, "Whatcha reading?"

With a heavy sigh, Gabriel closed the book and showed Gaius the cover. As much as he hated to be interrupted, Gabriel knew that once Gaius had his mind set on something, there was no turning him away. The book appeared to be handwritten, and the title said, "Fairy Tail's History - As Told By Mavis Vermillion." It was a book Lucy Dragneel had written several year ago based on the stories the First had relayed to them during their many wars. Gabriel found it all fascinating, but he knew Gaius wouldn't care.

"It's about how Fairy Tail got started," he said dryly, waiting for the reaction he knew was coming. Moments later, he was not disappointed.

"Why are you always reading that boring stuff?!" the child asked in the kind of condescending tone that only young children got away with.

"Because I like it."

Gabriel had always been a quiet kid. He had the blonde hair like his father, but his frame was much smaller like his mother, Lisanna. At 15 years old, they could often find him in the guild library or, like that day, in the corner of the guild hall either reading a book or taking notes on the newest random thing he'd researched. Because of that, he was extremely book smart. However, the downside was that he wasn't the best with personal interactions. At times, it simply felt like too much effort to carrying on long conversations with the others. He always felt like they didn't understand him anyway, so why try?

Despite being polar opposites, Gabriel and Gaius actually got along pretty well. For as long as the young boy could remember, Gabriel had been around a lot because, his dad, Romeo was the older boy's mentor. Gaius had always looked to Gabriel as a big brother of sorts so, no matter how many times the elder boy pushed him away, he always came right back like a loyal puppy dog. In the last year or so, like today, Gabriel had stopped ignoring Gaius all together. Now he had upgraded the child to a position of tolerance. It wasn't perfect but at least it was a step in the right direction.

* * *

**Next Chapter**

Summer - x814

* * *

**Ship Families**

**Natsu & Lucy** \- Girl (x797) - Nashi

Boy (x799) - Aki

**Gray & Juvia** \- Boy (x797) - Slate

Girl (x798) - Haruki

**Gajeel & Levy** \- Boy (x794 - twins) - Ryuu

Girl (x794 - twins) - Mari

Girl (x797) - Akemi

**Jellal & Erza** \- Boy (x798) - Dillion

**Bacchus & Cana** \- Girl (x795) - Shayla

**Laxus & Lisanna** \- Boy (x796) - Nathan

Boy (x799) - Gabriel

**Elfman & Evergreen** \- Girl (x794) - Bluebell

Girl (x796) - Carnation

Girl (x798) - Daisy

Boy (x800) - Katsuo

**Dugal & Wendy** \- Boy (x800) - Kichirou

Girl (x802) - Piper

**Romeo & Asuka** \- Boy (x807) - Gaius


	7. Chapter 7

The Future Is Ours

By: juvia0613 (aka FayeValentine00)

Chapter 7

**Summer - x814**

* * *

It was a warm summer night and 14-year-old Kichirou Gryder was returning home from a long day of hanging out with Katsuo Strauss. The two had spent the day running through the woods, practicing some new magic they'd recently learned. Although it had been fun, Kichirou was exhausted. All he wanted to do was get home, eat dinner with his little sister, Piper and go to sleep.

Maybe it was because it was a dark moonless night or because the teenage boy was tired, or maybe it was because he didn't have much battle experience but, as he approached the home, Kichirou didn't immediately realize anything was wrong. He didn't notice that heavy feet had trampled his mom's flowers in the front yard or that there was a large gash in the fence along the side of their home. He didn't even realize the house was completely dark until he opened the front door and was greeted with an eerie silence.

Normally Piper was the little sister that attacked you at the front door to ask about your day and gush about her own yet… there was nothing. Absolutely nothing in the house was moving. An immediate sense of dread hit him all at once. As soon as he focused, he was hit with the nearly overwhelming smell of Piper's paints. With a trembling hand, Kichirou turned on the light and found his worst fears confirmed.

The home where he'd lived happily with his family for as long as he could remember was completely trashed. Furniture was upturned, someone had broken a table and there were splotches of paint everywhere. It was obvious that whoever had done this had fought with Piper and it was also clear, from what he was seeing, that his little sister had been fighting for her life. He stood in a trance surveying the damage for a long moment before he came back to himself and was able to think straight.

"PIPER!" Despite being exhausted, Kichirou ran through the house, room by room, screaming his sisters' name at the top of his lungs. "PIPER! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

He had to fight the panic that was beginning to overtake him. With his parents gone for the night on a job outside of Magnolia, he was the one who should have been guarding her. His parents had specifically told him that this could happen and yet, Kichirou hadn't been there to protect Piper when she needed him most. Hot, angry tears fell down his cheeks as he realized that he had failed his family. He fell to his knees hard and hit his fist into the floor in frustration. He knew he had to do something. The Lightning Magic user knew he had to get help, but it felt so hard to get back on his feet when it felt like the universe had come crashing down around him.

What finally got him moving again was thinking of his sister. Piper was alive. He didn't doubt that for a moment. She was out there somewhere and scared and he needed to go save her. He needed to bring her back home to the place where everyone loved her. With that though firmly planted in his mind, he used every last bit of his magical energy to turn into lightning and dart to the closest safe place he could think of.

He materialized at the kitchen of the Strauss home just as the family was sitting down for dinner. Although it had only been a short time since he'd left them, it only took a glimpse at Kichirou's face to know that something was very wrong. Before the boy could even speak, he collapsed but was easily caught by Elfman.

He was weak and fighting to stay conscious after spending the reminder of his magical energy, but he knew he had to relay the message. "Help… Piper… Kidnapped."

When Kichirou lost consciousness, everyone at the table jumped up from their seats. Evergreen and Carnation took the boy from Elfman and checked him over for injuries before anything else. All the while, Carnations heart was beating wildly in her chest. If someone had kidnapped Piper, Carnation knew exactly what that meant. This was what Wendy had been dreading since the day she'd returned to Fairy Tail. Based on what her mentor had revealed over the years about the children's real father, Carnation tried to convince herself that Piper was safe but despite that, her hands wouldn't stop shaking. She was closer to Piper and Kichirou than her own siblings and the angry that filled her was nearly unbearable.

Once it was clear that the boy wasn't hurt but just exhausted, Bluebell pulled on her shoes and ran to the door. "I'm going to the guild to get help!" Before anyone could complain or try to join her, the girl was off like a shot into the night.

"I need to go check on the house," Elfman said firmly, climbing to his feet looking dangerously intense. "Maybe I can find some clues."

"I'm coming with you, Dad!" That was Daisy, his youngest daughter that was so much like his big sister, Mirajane. Her expression was equally dark as she climbed to her feet and met his eyes evenly. "Let's go."

Although the protective father in Elfman wanted to stop her, he knew that she could defend herself. He also knew there simply wasn't time to argue. With a nod, the two were out the door.

That left Evergreen, Katsuo and Carnation to take care of Kichirou. The only thing running through the mind of the Sky Dragon Slayer were questions. Why now? Why here? How could this happen? Where they coming for Kichirou next? That last question made Carnation squeeze the boy's hand tightly. They would find Piper, she knew they would but, in that moment, her number one priority was now to keep Wendy's son safe.

Katsuo hadn't said much of anything since Kichirou appeared in their home. The youngest Strauss had never seen his best friend looking so desperate. All of it just seemed too impossible. They were all members of Fairy Tail. The guild and Magnolia were safe places. This kind of thing just didn't happen. Katsuo had never truly been afraid until that very moment and he didn't like the feeling at all.

* * *

Bluebell ran all the way to the guildhall and threw the door wide open, slamming it against the wall. It was dinner time so most of the usual suspects were in the hall having dinner or a drink. When they heard the noise, all eyes instantly turned to her. At first her friends looked annoyed but one glimpse at her face and their expressions quickly turned to concern.

"H-Help," Bluebell choked out while trying to catch her breath. "We need help. Piper's been kidnapped!"

For a second, you could have heard a pin drop but then the uproar was deafening. Everyone was on their feet and questions were coming from all directions. Who? What? Where? When? How? But no matter how many questions they asked, Bluebell didn't have an answer for any of them. All she knew was that Kichirou was safe and Piper was missing. It wasn't until Ryuu got to her side that real tears fell down the Fairy Magic users cheeks.

In an instant, every child of the new Fairy Tail generation found themselves facing the true dangers of the world for the first time. Strong as they might all be, they'd never faced the kinds of trials that their parents had, and that reality hit them like a cold slap in the face.

"Happy, we're going to find Wendy." Natsu said, when the initial uproar died down. As he climbed to his feet, his expression was deadly serious.

"I'm coming with you." Lucy immediately jumped to her feet to follow but when their eyes met, the Celestial Spirit Mage knew she couldn't.

"It'll be faster with just me and Happy." His words seemed a little cold but then nodded his head to something behind her and it became clear.

Aki has been sitting beside his parents at the table when Bluebell had run in and since then, their younger child hadn't moved. He looked like he was in a state of shocked disbelief. Seeing her sons' normally confident face look so confused, Lucy immediately knew that, she couldn't leave. Instead, she did the only responsible thing, Lucy nodded firmly. "Bring Wendy home safe."

"Of course!" Her husband's easy smile was all Lucy needed to see to banish her fears.

Just as Natsu turned to leave, Gajeel stepped forward to follow. "I'm coming too."

The dragon slayers' eyes met seriously for a moment and then Natsu smirked. "Yeah. Let's go, Happy."

As the men and their partners walked out the door, everyone could see the dangerous look in Natsu's eyes. It was an expression that hadn't been seen for many moons. For so long now, Fairy Tail had been peaceful and although they knew that peace couldn't last forever, the fact that one of their children had been taken right out from under them was everyone's greatest fear realized.

Quickly various people teamed up and were heading out the door right behind the Dragon Slayers. Those on their way to the Strauss house to check on Kichirou and to try to get more information were: Lucy and her son, Aki; Levy and her son, Ryuu; and Shayla. The people on their way to the Gryder house were hoping to figure out exactly how this had even happened. They were the Fullbusters; Gray, Juvia, Slate and Haruki, and Akemi Redfox. Everyone else stayed at the guild to make a plan of action.

Using his telepathy, Warren contacted all the Fairy Tail members in the area, alerting them to return to the guild. Meanwhile, Freed quickly got to work on setting a barrier around the main building that would only allow guild members to come and go freely. It would not be strong enough to hold off a full-blown attack but if push came to shove, it would buy them some time.

* * *

Daisy and Elfman arrived in front of the Gryder home less than ten minutes later and it was shockingly plain how intensely Piper had fought. There was paint splattered both inside and outside of the home and everything was in utter disarray. As they dug through the upturned furniture and broken personal items, they looked for anything that might lead them to the culprits. Although it was easy to assume that it was Piper's father who had come to take her back, they still wanted proof.

As she overturned a chair and found one of Pipers old stuffed toys ripped to shreds, Daisy finally spoke to her father with a shaky voice. "This is terrible." In all her 16 years, she'd seen nothing like it. It was mind blowing to the girl who'd never once considered herself sheltered.

"Yeah…" Elfman agreed darkly.

Even though there was a solid motive behind Piper's kidnapping, Elfman couldn't shake the dark feeling seeping into his gut. This could have happened to any of the children in Fairy Tail. They had been too relaxed for too long. They had let their guards down and now they were paying the price. There was a piece of Elfman that wanted to lock his kids away safely and hide the key until this was over. Yet, the other side of him wanted these kids to realize to learn just how good they'd had it all this time.

The father-daughter team moved carefully through each of the rooms and came up empty. They were just about to give up when the Fullbuster family and Akemi Redfox arrived. Per Freed's instructions, Akemi immediately set to work at setting up the barrier he'd taught her just a few minutes before. It was a fairly easy script, but it gave her a purpose and allowed her to feel like she was actually helping. Akemi felt that if she didn't have a task to keep her busy, she may have lost her nerve completely. The entire situation was simply unbelievable.

While Gray and Juvia touched base with Elfman and Daisy, Slate and Haruki walked through the house together silently. There were literally no words. It wasn't until they walked into Piper's room that Haruki finally reacted. Her eyes quickly noticed the broken picture frame lying on the floor beside the young girls' bed. Haruki knew that picture frame well because it was the exact one she'd given to Piper as a gift just a few months ago. Her hands were shaking as she dropped to her knees roughly, reaching for the frame but before she could touch it, her brother grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her to her feet.

"Haruki!" Alarmed, Slate accidently shouted her name loud enough to be heard throughout the house. "Your knees!"

Only then did the Water Mage realize that she had kneeled right into broken glass and it hurt. "Ouch!"

Right as Haruki reacted, both Gray and Juvia ran into the room with dark expressions that spoke of a short lifespan for whoever was threatening their children. Slate and Haruki had never seen their parents look so fierce and, to be honest, it scared the hell out of them.

"What happened?!" Gray asked, scanning the room quickly.

"Are you okay?!" Juvia followed up right behind her husband.

"I'm sorry!" Haruki blurted out as her mother reached her and fussed over her bloodied knees. "I didn't mean to."

Carefully, Slate leaned over his sister and mother and picked up the frame that Haruki had been reaching for. Flipping it over in his hands, he realized why Haruki was so upset. The framed picture was only a few months old, and it was taken at the party to commemorate the successful completion of Paige's first job. It was one of the rare times over the last few years that literally all of them had been together, all 18 children of the newest Fairy Tail generation. Just seeing Piper's face smiling back up at him from the picture was enough for Slate.

With a frustrated growl, he tore his eyes from the image and thrust it into his sisters' hands before stomping out of the house. The entire situation made him feel helpless, and he hated it. Even though the 17-year-old boy had heard everything that Bluebell had said when she ran into the hall, her words hadn't seemed possible. Fairy Tail was supposed to be a secure place and within that secure place, it was safe to say that Kichirou and Piper were two of the most protected people there. That little girl should have been ok. To make it worse, Slate could tell that Piper had fought hard, and he knew that she must have been scared. Just thinking about that made his blood turn to ice.

Slate was staring up into the night sky when he heard Gray's voice come from a few feet behind him. "Are you angry?"

Without thinking, the younger man spun around and lashed out aggressively. "Of course I'm fucking angry!" Only after the words escaped his lips did Slate realize what he'd done and quickly closed his mouth. For starters, Slate had never spoken to his father like that. He respected his parents too much. Furthermore, the younger man knew that none of this was his Dad's fault. Slate just felt so helpless about the situation that he wasn't sure how to handle it.

Gray narrowed his eyes at his son but said nothing for a time. However, a few tense moments later, he sighed heavily, putting a hand on Slate's shoulder. Looking his son dead in the eye, he spoke sternly. "Good! Be frustrated. Be angry! And put those emotions to good use when we bring Piper back!"

* * *

At the Strauss house, Katsuo and Evergreen sat tensely beside the bed Kichirou was resting on, but Carnation couldn't relax. She was pacing back and forth, her brain running wild. All she could think of was Wendy and Piper. It took everything in her to hold back the tears that were already stinging her eyes. Everything about this was wrong. Even though Wendy had told Carnation the entire story about how her children had almost been kidnapped as babies, they hadn't been able to protect Piper. That afternoon, while Piper had been fighting tooth and nail, Carnation had been out shopping… shopping! What was the point of being strong if you failed to protect the ones you loved the most?

"Carnation, sit down," Evergreen spoke softly, gazing at her daughter with obvious concern.

"I can't sit down!" Carnation finally broke her silence and as she did, the dam on her tears broke as well. With tears streaming down her face, she looked desperately between her mother and Kichirou. "I-I can't sit down. We-We have to help Piper. We have to do something!"

Just when a sob tore from the dragon slayer's mouth, she felt two strong feminine arms wrap around her from behind. It only took a second to recognize the scent. Without another word, Carnation spun around and buried her face into Shayla's chest with loud sobs.

When Levy arrived at Elfman and Ever's home, she immediately set to work on the same magical barrier being used at the guildhall and the Gryder home. Levy's heart was heavy as she thought about everything that was happening. Although she felt terrible about Piper, somehow Levy knew that the young girl was okay. If it was really her father who had taken her, there was no way that the man was planning to harm her. From everything Wendy had told her over the years, it appeared that the dark guild, Perdition, wanted the children for their power, not to take their lives. Levy also felt confident that Fairy Tail could get her back safely. There was no way that, after all they'd been through over the years, that they'd fail on such a basic job.

However, what broke her heart was seeing the faces of the children. None of them, even the oldest of them, her own twins, had ever faced this kind of danger. Their children had grown up in a time of peace where the only real fights they'd encountered were fairly straight-forward and only during jobs. This was a generation that literally had no concept of war. Although the entire world wasn't in immediate danger like it had been in their younger days, for these kids, it must feel like the end of the world. In many ways, maybe it was… the end of the world as they knew it.

"Did Kichirou know anything else about what happened?" Lucy asked Evergreen, sitting on the bed beside the young boy. Looking worried, she pushed his blue hair behind his ear and watched him sleep.

"No. He literally appeared, told us what happened and passed out," the elder woman replied, her voice shaky as she continued to watch her daughter sob into Shayla's chest.

Aki looked back and forth between the mom's and then over to Carnation's shaking shoulders before he turned to Ryuu with a dark look in his eyes. The Fire Dragon Slayer might have only been 15 years old, but he was the son of Natsu Dragneel. Patience and waiting where not his strong suits. He couldn't understand why everyone was just waiting around. In fact, no one was even talking about what to do yet. Well, that was a bunch of crap, as far as he was concerned. Without a word, Aki turned towards the door, intent of taking things into his own hands when a very strong hand grasped his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" The deep, firm voice belonging to Ryuu Redfox stopped the younger boy dead in his tracks. At 20 years old and as a fellow Dragon Slayer, Ryuu was the person who Aki respected the most after his parents.

"Where do you think I'm going? I going to save Piper," the younger boy spat back angrily. He was literally trembling with a mixture of anger and frustration. If he was being honest with himself, he was probably a little scared as well but that didn't matter. He couldn't just wait there all day!

"Not yet," Ryuu said, turning his hand into iron as Aki's body heat subconsciously rose.

Spinning around to face the much larger man, Aki manifested fire into both of his hands. He hadn't technically meant to do it and it wasn't even a threat. He just didn't know what to do with all these sudden emotions. "Then when?! Everyone is just standing around, doing nothing!"

"We need a plan," Ryuu answered calmly, looking the younger boy in the eyes sternly until the fires in his hands slowly faded away into nothingness. "Once we have a plan, then we go."

It was like a silent battle of wills as the boys stared each other down but finally Aki sighed and dropped his eyes to the floor. "Fine! But we better hurry…"

* * *

As soon as Katsuo regained consciousness, everyone headed to the guildhall to regroup. When they arrived, they quickly noticed that everyone who'd gone to the Gryder house was also back. The only people not at the guild were Mest, Wendy, Natsu, Happy, Gajeel and Panther Lily. Every person in the room was dreading the moment they'd see Wendy's face. Wendy was the little sister to everyone, especially her teammates, and when she hurt, they hurt too.

Natsu and Gajeel did the best they could to track Wendy via scent. They knew what job she and Mest had taken so the men hoped that if they headed in that general direction, she'd be easy to find. It took about an hour of flying at top speed for them to find Wendy's scent. By the time the men got to her door, the Sky Dragon Slayer had sensed them coming in quickly and was waiting.

Wendy knew immediately that something was wrong. There was no other reason Natsu and Gajeel would come in the middle of the night at top speed. Before they spoke any words, her hands were shaking. She knew… somehow, she knew that it was bad.

With Carla by her side looking distraught, Wendy felt Mest intertwine his fingers with hers as she asked in a shaky voice, "What happened?"

She'd directed Her question at Natsu but he couldn't answer. When the man in question dropped his gaze to the floor and shifted uncomfortably, it was Gajeel who laid out the details quickly. "Kichirou is fine but Piper has been kidnapped. We think it was their father."

Carla's horrified gasp filled the room but then everything around them seemed to stop. Somehow, the way Gajeel presented the news in his serious, matter-of-fact way, made it easier to swallow. If someone had told Wendy the same news differently, she was sure that she'd have crumbled right then and there but she didn't. Instead, she felt numb. It was like having an out-of-body experience. His words made sense. Wendy understood what she was being told, however she just couldn't react.

The men watched Wendy carefully as the words sunk in. Natsu and Gajeel had both dreaded that moment but neither of them had expected this. Her lack of tears made them even more concerned.

Finally, it was Mest who broke the silence, pulling Wendy closer. "We have to go back… right now." Wendy was too dazed to notice but Gajeel and Natsu could easily see that her husband's free hand had formed a white-knuckled fist. He was clearly doing everything he could to be calm in front of Wendy, but he was struggling. Mest teleported Wendy and Carla back to the guild but because of the distance, the couple arrived at nearly the same time as the dragon slayers. By the time the couple appeared at the guildhall, Mest was out of magic and barely able to stand but Wendy didn't have time to worry about that. Knowing he would be ok with rest, she turned to locate her son.

Immediately, a loud voice called out to her. "Mom!" Hearing her Kichirou's voice, Wendy spun around to see her son running at her full tilt. Only when she saw that he was safe, did the tears finally fall.

Normally Wendy's 14-year-old son was tough. He definitely tried to be the man of the house as much as possible and Mest had done a great job supporting that but, as he flung himself into his mother's arms, all of Kichirou's bravado was gone. Her son's eyes were red, and his face was pale. Even the boys' hands were trembling. Not caring who was watching, Wendy held Kichirou tightly. She kissed the top of his head and smoothed his hair with her hand, trying to reassure herself that at least he was actually here and safe.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry, Mom," he repeated over and over again. "I was out with Katsuo a little late and when I got home Piper was gone. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Each word tumbling out of the boy's mouth was like a dagger to her heart. None of this was his fault. Kichirou shouldn't have to feel this way. All the old guilt she had felt when they'd escaped from Dugal Apollyon years ago, came back to her in a crushing blow. None of this was fair. She had caused her children to suffer again. She only had one job, to protect her children and now she had failed. Despite how badly she wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out, Wendy knew that she couldn't abandon her son now.

"Shhhh… It's not your fault," Wendy whispered softly. As she spoke, Wendy felt Carla hug her from behind. She knew her partner's heart was breaking along with hers. The only person who truly understood what Wendy had gone through and how she felt was Carla. Silently, she pulled Carla into the embrace as well and the trio cried together.

* * *

Chapter 8

~ It's Our Turn ~

* * *

Notes:

Would anyone be interested in seeing character profiles for the next gen characters?

If so, let me know and I will be happy to add some to the end of each issue. :)


	8. Chapter 8

The Future Is Ours

BY: juvia0613 (aka FayeValentine00)

Chapter 8

* * *

It took a few minutes before anyone dared to interrupt the tender moment between Wendy, Kichirou and Carla but they needed to act quickly. Ultimately, it was Gildarts who spoke up, drawing all eyes to him. "We need a plan. Wendy, Carla… We need to know where to find Piper."

Taking a deep breath to center herself, Wendy gave Carla and Kichirou one last squeeze before wiping her eyes roughly and standing up to face their Guild Master. When she spoke, Wendy's voice was surprisingly strong. "You're right. I'll tell you everything I know."

Over the next half an hour, with the help of Carla, Wendy told her guild mates every detail she could remember about Bellum and Dugal. She threw in what little she knew about Dugal's father whom Wendy had seen once in the woods all those years ago. Everyone listened carefully but when it came to the location of Perdition headquarters the Sky Dragon Slayer was just as clueless as everyone else.

"Alright!" Natsu said loudly. "Enough talking! Let's go kick that guy's ass and get Piper back!" The Dragon Slayer had only taken one step toward the door when a voice called to him.

"Natsu, wait!" The deep voice boomed loudly across the room, stopping the surprised dragon slayer in his tracks.

Turning around, Natsu found himself faced with an expected group. Nearly all the children were standing together, united, looking to Natsu and the other parents with deadly serious expressions on their faces. What the parents and older guild members hadn't realized was that while they'd been talking and making plans for what to do, Ryuu, Mari, Bluebell, Shayla, Carnation, Nathan, Nashi, Slate, Akemi, Dillon, Daisy, Haruki, Aki and Katsuo had been doing the same. Now that those kids had come to an agreement, it was Ryuu's job to set their plan into action.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked carefully, specifically looking at Ryuu and then at his own kids, Nashi and Aki.

"We've all been talking," Ryuu began, gesturing to the group behind him. "And we've decided that we're going to the ones to bring Piper home."

The following uproar was not unexpected but, per the plan, none of the younger generation wavered. Ryuu's eyes met Natsu's firmly as he continued. "Tonight, all of us realized just how sheltered we've been. We all think of Piper like our little sister. This is our fight."

"No way!" Levy jumped up from her seat, saying what all the other mothers were thinking. "It's too dangerous."

"Mom! Are you kidding?" Mari spoke up before her twin could reply, turning to her mother incredulously. "By the time you were our age, all of you had literally saved the world!"

"How can we ever prove ourselves to you… and to ourselves if you never give us the chance?" Akemi added, joining her sister as they looked to their mother pleadingly.

An uneasy silence fell over the room until Gray finally spoke up sounding resigned. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes, we do." Ryuu turned to the Ice Devil Slayer with a smile. Over the next several minutes, Ryuu, Slate and Shayla took turns explaining their plan in detail. They'd even made lists and maps while they'd waited for Wendy and Mest to return to the guild. As far as the younger Fairy Tail members were concerned, this was their time to step up and protect their guild family.

Everyone had listened carefully to the plan laid out before them. Maybe the plan wasn't exactly what their parents would have done, but that needed to be okay if Ryuu and the others were going to make their mark. All the kids watched with bated breath as their parents exchanged glances. Some of them, like Gray, Natsu and Elfman, looked impressed. Others, like Levy, Lisanna and Wendy, looked concerned.

Master Gildarts was impressed with their plan but, what cinched his support was the look of conviction on the kids' faces. He could still vividly remember the first time Erza, Natsu, Gray and Mirajane had all set out on their first truly dangerous missions. Back then, it had been hard to let them go, regardless of their strength. Now It was time for Natsu and the others to let go as well. Quite honestly, the timing was well overdue.

"I agree. Ryuu, Slate and Shalya… I like your plan. You three will lead your teams to Perdition and bring back Piper." Gildarts announced to Ryuu and the others, crossing the room as he spoke before turning to Natsu and Gray. "Natsu, you and the others will stay here and help us refortify Fairy Tail."

With the Guild Masters blessing, Ryuu and the others all visibly relaxed as they exchanged excited grins and murmured excitedly to one another. At the same time, Erza, Gray and Natsu formed a huddle of their own.

"We should have let them do this a long time ago," Gray said more to himself than the others. Regardless of what who was going after Piper tonight, he'd already decided to bring Slate and Haruki along.

"I agree." Natsu nodded seriously. He was more depressed about being cut out of the action than worried about the kids who were running off to danger.

"I'm incredibly impressed by their planning," Erza nodded along with the men who were still her best friends after all these years. "This will be a good chance for them to solidify themselves as core members of Fairy Tail."

* * *

From the moment Ryuu had spoken up to Natsu, the original Iron Dragon Slayer had fully supported his children, but he also knew how Levy felt and he understood why she was concerned. Gajeel had been standing next to his wife while the kids laid out their plan and as soon as Gildarts gave the okay, he took that as a sign to pull her aside for a talk. When no one else was really paying them any attention, he flung her over his shoulder and carried her to a secluded section of the room.

"Gajeel! What are you doing?!" she asked, kicking her feet and pushing her hands against his shoulders in an attempt to escape but he easily overpowered her.

"Hey! Hey! Calm down," he said with a laugh before letting her down just enough to kiss her lips softly, not relenting until she gradually relaxed.

When she stopped resisting, Gajeel set her down on the ground and pulled her into a hug. The small bluenette rested her forehead on his chest and spoke in a pouting voice. "I already know that we have to let them go…," she began, sighing heavily. "And, I know I'm being selfish… but I don't like it."

"But Mari was right, you know. She and Ryuu are 20 now." Placing a hand under her chin, Gajeel lifted her face so he could meet her eyes. With a roughish smile, he added, "You do realize that when you were 20 years old, we got married and the twins were born, right?"

"Ugh! I know!" She protested with a groan but Gajeel saw the blush spread across her cheeks. She really was too easy to read. However, after a moment, Levy recovered and looked up to her husband with a half-smile. "I'm gonna be a wreck while they're gone. … You know that right?"

"It'll be fine, midget. I'm sure I'll be able to find plenty of ways to take your mind off things. Gihihihi." Those words just made Levy blush harder.

* * *

When the verdict was rendered and people broke off into groups, Nashi approached Lucy slowly. She'd been watching her mother the entire time that Slate and the others had been explaining their plan, but her mom had hardly reacted. Having a father like Natsu, Nashi'd had a lot more opportunity to cut lose than the others. Although her father had never put her in life-threatening danger, she'd had a good scare now and again. Most of the others weren't so lucky but, through it all, her mother had always silently worried.

"Are you mad?" the younger blonde woman asked her mother, nervously fiddling with the hem of her blue and white frilly dress. No matter how big Nashi got, her mother's opinion held the most weight to her.

"Of course not," Lucy said quickly, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm not mad at all. I am proud of you… both of you," she added gesturing to Aki who was across the room with Daisy Strauss talking animatedly to Elfman and Ever.

"Then what's wrong?" Nashi said with a sigh, sitting down on the bench besides her mother and resting her head on Lucy's shoulder.

There was a long pause, followed by a heavy sigh before Lucy dropped her head down to her daughters. "Oh, you know, typical Mom stuff. I don't want to let you guys grow up. I'm overprotective and I don't want you guys to go through anything like we had to. Yet, I know I have to."

"So, basically, you are wallowing in self-pity."

"Pretty much," Lucy admitted, mother and daughter laughing together.

Finally, Nashi wrapped her arms around her mother's middle. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too," Lucy returned the embrace tightly as she added, "Just… keep an eye on Aki."

* * *

The plan was to leave early the next morning so families from all over the guild were scrambling to help their children prepare. If the stakes hadn't been so high, the tension would have been comical but, with one of their own missing, it was anything but. Bags were packed, care packages and bentos made. Tactical advice was handed out and tears were shed but since Levy's initial outburst, not a single person had complained about the decision.

Since fifteen of the children were going out to retrieve Piper, they had decided to break into three teams of five. That would make travel easier and be less conspicuous. As Gildarts had said, Ryuu, Shayla and Slate would be the team leaders and it was their responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone with them. The breakdown would be:

**Team One**

Slate Fullbuster (Leader) – 17 years old – Ice Make Magic

Nashi Dragneel – 17 years old – Celestial Spirit Magic

Dillion Fernandez – 16 years old – Heavenly Body Magic

Daisy Strauss – 16 Years Old – Take-Over Satan Soul

Aki Dragneel – 15 Years Old – Fire Dragon Slayer Magic

**Team Two**

Ryuu Redfox (Leader) – 20 Years Old – Iron Dragon Slayer Magic

Mari Redfox – 20 Years Old – Magic Card/Fortune Telling Magic

Bluebell Strauss – 20 Years Old – Fairy Magic/Eye Magic

Nathan Dreyar – 18 Years Old – Take-Over Animal Soul

Haruki Fullbuster – 16 Years Old – Water Magic

**Team Three**

Shayla Groh (Leader) – 19 Years Old – Crush Magic

Carnation Strauss – 18 Years Old – Sky Dragon Slayer Magic

Akemi Redfox – 17 Years Old – Script Magic

Katsuo Strauss – 14 Years Old – Seith Magic/Human Possession Magic

Kichirou Gryder – 14 Years Old – Lightening Magic

Mostly, the teams made sense. They were comprised with pre-established teams, close friends and family members. The only person who felt completely out of place was Haruki Fullbuster. She understood why her brother chose the people he did. Nashi was his girlfriend, and they worked well together. For Lucy's sake, that meant Aki needed to be on his team as well. Where Aki goes, Daisy follows so, again, she understood. Last, he'd chosen Dillion, her boyfriend. She even understood that. Dillion and Slate were best friends and the son of Erza and Jellal had an extraordinary amount of offensive magic which would come in handy in a pinch.

As was said, Haruki understood the choices, but it didn't make her feel any less lonely. To make things even more strained, the water mage was going with Ryuu's team. The other four members were already a team. They'd been together as long as she could remember. Haruki was positive that she was destined to be the 5th wheel.

It was well after midnight, when the blue-haired girl assumed everybody else was asleep, that the normally happy young woman allowed herself to give in to the sadness that had been simmering below the surface all night. She couldn't stop herself when the tears fell. She knew mission wasn't about her and she knew that bringing Piper home safely was the most important thing, but that knowledge didn't make it any easier.

A little while later, there was a light knock on the door and then a second later, it opened, and she saw her father peek in looking concerned. Quickly, Haruki wiped her eyes and did her best to fake a smile. Even she knew that she failed.

Gray sighed as he entered to the room. After closing the door behind himself, the concerned father crossed the room and sat down beside Haruki on the bed. "You want to talk about it?", he asked.

"I'm fine, Dad," she was quick to assure him but her own cracking voice betrayed her.

Letting out another sigh, her father stood back up and crossed the room. Haruki was confused until he pulled back her curtains and she noticed unseasonal rain pouring down outside. She took a minute to realize that her father was implying that she caused the rain. It was the first time she had ever exhibited that magical ability inherited from her mother and it was obviously troubling her dad.

"So, let's try again…", the ice mage began again, returning to his seat beside her. "Want to talk about it?"

The water mage looked down at her hands, hesitating only a moment before she spoke. "I feel like I'm being left behind," she sniffed dejectedly. "I know that it isn't like that… and I know why Slate made the choices that he did but… still…"

Gray wasn't sure what to say either. Like Haruki, he understood the team dynamics, but he still would have preferred his kids to go together. Instead, he just wrapped an arm around his nearly grown daughter who was turning into a beautiful woman faster than he could accept. Before he knew it, she'd probably be off with Dillion doing God knows what so these were the moments he had to cherish. He knew he had to support her while he still could.

"You probably don't want to hear this from me but travelling with Ryuu's team will be a great experience for you. Also, you're strong enough to hold your own alongside them," he said with a smile, squeezing her shoulder tightly. "They are lucky to have you. No one realizes how much potential you have… not even you."

Haruki smiled despite herself and wrapped her arms around her dad's waist, giving him a huge hug. "Thanks, Dad."

"Any time." Gray said with a smile of his own, returning the hug.

* * *

The next morning, not long after dawn, the teams left Magnolia and their parents behind. The goal was to bring Piper home quickly and safely, but they were Fairy Tail members. Nothing was ever that easy.


End file.
